COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accommodation: Public Finance

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission was provided hotel accommodation at the City Inn, Westminster paid for from the public purse.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 22 June 2011
	Your parliamentary question has been passed to me for reply.
	I joined the Commission in June 2008 as Managing Director for Corporate Services, based in Yorkshire. My contract included provision for overnight stays in London and, where necessary, Bristol, reimbursed by the Commission at its usual rate for overnight stays.
	When the Board asked me to become Interim Chief Executive and Controller of Audit on 1 April 2010, following Steve Bundred's departure, I agreed to spend two or three nights each week in London. The Commission continues to pay for these overnight stays in accordance with my contract. The rate negotiated with the City Inn is consistent with the Commission's expenses policy for overnight stays in London.
	In June 2010 the Board decided to suspend the appointment process for a new Chief Executive and continue with the interim arrangements. There has been no change to this policy since the government's announcement in August 2010 of its plans to disband the Commission. The Commission has not recruited a replacement to the former post of MD Corporate Services and has therefore saved the costs associated with that post.

Departmental Official Engagements

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his official engagements were during his visit to India in April 2011.

Bob Neill: During his visit to India in April 2011, the engagements of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), were as follows:
	Meeting with Shri P. Chidambaram, Minister for Home Affairs;
	Meeting with Mani Shankar Aiyar MP, former Minister for Panchayati Raj;
	“Webinar” with UKTI India Network and FCO and DfID Climate Change team;
	Meeting with Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of Water Resources and Minority Affairs;
	Engagement with Delhi-based members of the British Business Group;
	Visit to Hirehalli Gram Panchayat, including local village enterprise initiative and presentation of Gram Panchayat activities;
	Visit to Tumkur Zilla Panchayat, including discussion with the Mayor and Deputy Commissioner of Tumkur;
	Meeting with Shri Wajahat Habibullah, Chair of the National Commission for Minorities;
	Discussion of “Community Integration in India and the UK”, hosted by the British high commissioner, with leading academics, social activists and media commentators;
	Briefing with members of the Indian print media;
	Meeting with Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and officials from his Department;
	Meetings with the British high commissioner and high commission staff.

Departmental Official Visits

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) officials of and (b) special advisers in his Department took part in his official visit to India in April 2011.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), was accompanied on his April 2011 visit to India by two officials from his Department, namely the Director for Decentralisation and the Big Society, and his Private Secretary. No special advisers attended.

Departmental Official Visits

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the details of expenditure arising from his visit to India in April 2011, including the cost of (a) flights, (b) accommodation, (c) transport and (d) food.

Bob Neill: Expenditure of £4,060.63 per person for international and internal flights, and £123.42 per person for accommodation arose from the visit to India in April 2011 of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles).
	No cost was incurred for transport other than flights.
	All meals in restaurants were paid for personally by members of the party.
	In line with practice under the previous Administration, this trip was supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and was part of an ongoing focus by the British Government on building community relations, trade links and business opportunities between India and the UK—a trade relationship that is worth £13 billion per year.
	The coalition Government have significantly cut the cost of ministerial travel compared to the previous Administration, as outlined in my answer of 17 June 2011, Official Report, column 977W.
	By way of comparison with similar trips undertaken by previous Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. John Denham MP visited Bangladesh in January 2010 at a cost of £3,882 (cost for the Minister only) and was accompanied by three officials and a special adviser. The right hon. Hazel Blears MP visited Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in July-August 2008 at a cost of £5,765 (again, excluding costs of flights and accommodation for other members of the party). Ms Blears was accompanied by four officials on this visit.

Government Procurement Card

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any of the costs arising from his visit to India in April 2011 were paid for using a departmental credit card.

Bob Neill: None of the costs arising from the Secretary of State’s visit to India in April 2011 were paid for using a departmental credit card.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership on the process followed in deciding the location of the proposed local enterprise zone for Bristol.

Bob Neill: None. My officials are in discussion with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership on the development of their chosen site. However, the process followed in deciding the location within a partnership area of a proposed enterprise zone is not a matter for Ministers, it is an issue for the Local Enterprise Partnership to decide.

Rented Housing: Greater London

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made on the affordable rent funding allocation for London; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: In setting out the framework for the Affordable Homes programme, we made clear that it must meet local priorities. This moves away from the previous rigid approach of subdividing the programme funding between areas in advance.
	The Homes and Communities Agency has received an encouraging response from providers for new affordable homes for 2011-15. These offers are now being assessed with initial contracts expected to be signed in September.
	We have set out specific arrangements for London, given our commitment to devolve investment powers to the Mayor. We have said that we will seek to deliver a similar percentage of new affordable homes in London from the new programme as previously. This will depend on the relative value for money of offers in London and elsewhere.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 58W, on Travellers: caravan sites, which provisions of (a) the Human Rights Act 1998 and (b) the European Convention on Human Rights would potentially be breached if his Department proceeded with option 2 of the planning for Traveller sites consultation.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to page 42 of my Department's consultation paper of April 2011, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	As this is a public consultation, hon. Members are welcome to submit their views, including on the merits or demerits of the various options.

Vetting

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the special advisers in his Department are required to have developed vetting clearance.

Bob Neill: Special advisers are subject to the same security procedures as other members of the Department. As such they are subject to National Security Vetting where appropriate and in accordance with the criteria contained in the Prime Minister's statement of 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 90WS, of Her Majesty's Government's Personnel Security and National Security.

PRIME MINISTER

Devolution

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Prime Minister what progress he has made on the devolution of further powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: We will consider requests for further devolution that have widespread support in Northern Ireland.

WALES

Arts: Cardiff

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the development of Cardiff as a hub for the creative industries; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), discusses many issues with Welsh Government Ministers, including the creative industries.
	The performance of Cardiff and the rest of Wales in this area is impressive. As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, the BBC is already developing a new “Drama Village” in Cardiff Bay. The previous Welsh Assembly Government announced their intention to develop proposals for a linked “digital media centre” close to this new development. These proposals open up opportunities to create a dynamic media hub for independent production companies and we will maintain a close interest as the plans develop. They had also identified creative industries as one of their priority sectors. I look forward to hearing whether the new Welsh Government will continue with these plans.
	Like the Secretary of State, I am keen to see Wales' highly respected film and television production sector continue to flourish as that will attract new investment and jobs as well as retain that which currently exists.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Cultural Heritage

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to preserve heritage sites in England.

John Penrose: English Heritage has recently launched the National Heritage Protection Plan, which sets out why, what and how England's vulnerable historic environment is to be safeguarded in the next four years. It can be found at:
	http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/protection/national-heritage-protection-plan/
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and English Heritage are also considering various measures to tackle the problem of buildings which have been on the Heritage At Risk Register for an extended period of time.

Departmental Buildings

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the address is of each office property occupied by his Department outside Greater London which it (a) owns and (b) rents; what the level of utilisation is of each such property; what the capital value is of each such property it owns; and what the (i) annual rental cost and (ii) length of lease agreement is of each rented property.

John Penrose: The Department does not own or lease any properties outside Greater London.

Football: Females

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will assess the future level of support for girls' football in Hull following the closure of the Football Association girls centre of excellence.

Hugh Robertson: Where Centres of Excellence have closed, as a result of the Football Association's recent review of girl's talent development, there will be understandable concern from girls and their parents. However, I am confident that the FA carried out their review fairly and in an open-handed way. I am pleased that the overall level of support given to talent development has not decreased.
	I am reassured that the FA have undertaken to ensure that all girls who previously attend a Centre of Excellence should not lose out as a result of the change, and I expect that they will deliver on that commitment.

Local Broadcasting: Radio

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what support his Department provides to help community radio projects to obtain an FM or AM broadcasting licence.

Edward Vaizey: The licensing of community radio stations is a matter for Ofcom, which works independently of Government. However, earlier this year the Government sought assurances from Ofcom that a further round of community radio licensing would be undertaken to allow more community stations to be licensed. Ofcom began a third round of community radio licensing earlier this year.

Olympic Games 2012

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the (a) future and (b) legacy of the Olympic Stadium.

Hugh Robertson: The Government's aim has been to find a long-term, sustainable use for the Olympic Stadium in legacy. The Olympic Park Legacy Company announced in February 2011 the selection of a consortium comprising West Ham United FC and the London borough of Newham as the preferred bidder for the long-term lease of the Stadium site and negotiations with the consortium continue.

Olympic Games 2012

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 140W, on the Olympic Games 2012, how many schools in (a) London, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland have applied to join the Get Set Network to date; and whether schools incur any costs in joining the Get Set Network.

Hugh Robertson: Schools are now being encouraged to apply to the Get Set Network in every nation and region of the UK. Every school has been contacted to sign up, which is an easy process. So far 1,190 schools have signed up in London; 3,184 have signed up in the rest of England, 118 in Scotland, 75 in Wales, and 28 in Northern Ireland. There is no charge or costs to join the Get Set Network. The Network is run and funded by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).

Press

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on consumer interests of present arrangements for the regulation of the newspaper and magazine distribution industry; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: I have made no assessment. Competition matters relating to the effects on consumer interests from the distribution arrangements covering the newspaper and magazine industry fall to the Office of Fair Trading.

Tourism

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of expenditure on holidays by members of the public which was spent on domestic tourism in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2009-10.

John Penrose: VisitEngland have advised that the total spend by UK residents on domestic overnight trips in 2010 was £20.8 million, of which £12 million was spent on holidays. Spend on domestic tourism day visits was estimated at £49.1 million. Total spend by UK residents abroad was £30.9 million (provisional).
	Total spend by UK residents on domestic overnight trips in 2009 was £21.9 million, of which £12.6 million was spent on holiday trips. Spend on domestic tourism day visits was estimated at £47.6 million. Total spend by UK residents abroad was £31.7 million.
	Data for domestic day visits and spend are calculated by Oxford Economics/Deloitte and based on surveys from 2002-05. VisitEngland are in the process of conducting an updated day visitor survey.

Tourism

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to encourage domestic tourism.

John Penrose: The Government's plans for promoting domestic tourism are set out in detail in the paper, “Government Tourism Policy” published in March 2011, and available at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7896.aspx
	VisitEngland is working closely with areas and destinations, in line with Government's localism agenda, to grow the value of local tourism economies. This is co-ordinated through the National Strategic Framework for Tourism, which includes an action programme developed in consultation with the tourism sector. VisitEngland is currently working with local areas on a campaign to deliver economic growth from the domestic market, and to support employment and job creation.
	“The time to be in England” campaign will maximise the impact of the unique events of 2012, including the Queen’s diamond jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic games, helping to spread the benefits of the games outside London and maintain a legacy of domestic tourism growth. The campaign is the subject of a bid to the second round of the Regional Growth Fund.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when regulations on the transport of liquids on commercial flights were last (a) reviewed and (b) revised; and when he next plans to review such regulations.

Theresa Villiers: EU regulations restricting the carriage of liquids in cabin baggage on commercial aircraft have been in place since November 2006. Subsequent EU regulations require the lifting of liquids restrictions, through a move to a screening-based system utilising new technologies, by 29 April 2013.

Aviation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the effects of aviation on air quality.

Theresa Villiers: On 30 March 2011, the Government issued a Scoping Document entitled “Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation”. This sets out a number of strategic questions which will help define the debate as we develop a long term strategy for aviation. It includes a section on local air quality. The deadline for responses is 30 September.
	Also, the UK is supporting work in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to develop a new standard to regulate the emission of PM (Particulate Matter) from aircraft engines.

Dee Harbour

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date he expects to finalise the Dee Harbour Revision Order for publication.

Michael Penning: The Planning Inquiry for this application and a separate application for Mostyn Docks were held in 2005, as there were overlapping provisions between the two applications. Following the inquiry some matters of fact on jurisdiction were raised and considered in 2009 and 2010, and needed to be concluded before a decision could be made.
	We are considering whether we can proceed on the basis of the evidence considered at that inquiry or whether we need to conduct further consultation.

Road Signs and Markings

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable his Department has set for the review of brown signs on major routes managed by the Highways Agency.

Michael Penning: A working group consisting of the Highways Agency, the Department for Transport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and VisitEngland have started discussions and a schedule of work is being taken forward through the summer. A more precise timetable will be set based on Ministers' assessment of progress in due course.

Roads: Safety

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for television road safety campaigns in 2011-12.

Michael Penning: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 5 April 2011 Official Report, column 877W.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2011, Official Report, column 85WS, on Thameslink rolling stock, who will be responsible for maintenance of the new rolling stock.

Theresa Villiers: Assuming discussions conclude successfully with contractual close, Siemens plc will be responsible for maintaining the new trains under the award of the Thameslink contract.
	Jobs relating to Thameslink train maintenance are expected to be created in Three Bridges and Hornsey where the planned depots will be built, subject to planning permission being granted.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Dogs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had with animal welfare charities on local authority stray dog services under the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005;
	(2)  whether Ministers in her Department have assessed the merits of reviewing the responsibilities of local authorities in respect of stray dog control under the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005;
	(3)  what recent estimate her Department has made of the size of the dog population; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the adequacy of resources allocated (a) to and (b) by local authorities for stray dog control;
	(5)  what consideration she has given to the merits of requiring all local authorities to operate a 24/7 stray dog control service under the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005;
	(6)  if she will assess the merits of including on her Department's website more information on responsible dog ownership;
	(7)  what consideration she has given to providing local authorities with advice on stray dog shared kennelling facilities under the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005;
	(8)  what recent representations she has received from local authorities on stray dog control services.

James Paice: There are many estimates of the dog population in Great Britain, and these range between 8 million to 10 million.
	Animal welfare charities have held discussions with DEFRA officials about the level of service provided by local authorities (LA) in relation to stray dogs, and DEFRA receives occasional inquiries from LAs about dog control services.
	Currently, there are no proposals to review the responsibilities of LAs in respect of dog control services, and I am satisfied with the arrangements under which they are able to allocate funds for the provision of a stray dog service, as the Government considers that LAs must be allowed to prioritise their responsibilities and target their resources where they are needed. Additionally, LAs can arrange for kennelling services to be shared if they so wish.
	Both the DEFRA and DirectGov websites contain helpful advice to owners on how to look after their dogs. However, DEFRA is always open to suggestions for ways we can provide even more helpful advice.

Cattle: Foot and Mouth Disease

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review her policy of the pre-emptive culling of cattle during foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the light of recent research on the issue.

James Paice: I read with interest the research to which the right hon. Member refers. This is an important piece of research on foot and mouth disease in young cattle. DEFRA is collaborating with the researchers at the Institute for Animal Health to assess the value of these findings in managing disease outbreaks.
	Quick reporting of suspect cases of the disease by farmers and veterinarians and selective culling of animals, coupled with vaccination where that can make an effective contribution to control, remain the best way of stopping this disease.

Food: Origin Marking

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received on the country of origin labelling system.

James Paice: The labelling of the origin of food and food ingredients is currently under discussion in Europe as part of a regulation on the provision of food information to consumers. As part of the process of negotiating these regulations we have had representations from both industry and consumers on improving the clarity of origin labelling.

Food: Origin Marking

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the voluntary food labelling scheme.

James Paice: On 26 May 2011 we published a benchmark evaluation of the uptake of the food industry's voluntary principles on the provision of country of origin information.
	www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/food/labelling/country-origin/
	The evaluation showed a variation in the uptake of the principles with ‘own brands’ having a significantly higher level of uptake than branded foods. Overall, a relatively high number of meat and dairy products gave some form of origin labelling.
	I welcome the industry's commitment to the principles and its continuing efforts to improve uptake. We will carry out a further comparative evaluation next year.

Food: Origin Marking

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts on the reform of legislation on country of origin food labelling.

James Paice: Country of origin labelling is one of the issues under discussion in the negotiations on a new Regulation on the Provision of Food Information to Consumer. The UK is actively negotiating these regulations. As part those negotiations the Department has had discussion with European colleagues at various levels, from ministerial council meetings to expert group meetings.

Origin Marking: Israel

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 548W, on origin marking: Israel, whether her Department's voluntary labelling guidelines apply to (a) wine produced in Barkan and other settlements and(b)processed foods.

James Paice: The voluntary labelling guidelines referred to by the hon. Member apply to all food and drink, including wine and processed foods, originating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As the guidelines make clear, there are specific EU labelling requirements attached to certain agricultural products, including wine. The Barkan winery, to which the hon. Member refers, has for several years been situated at Hulda, within the internationally-recognised territory of Israel, and not at the settlement of Barkan in the West Bank.

Pigmeat

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of bacon sold in the UK came from pigs that had been (a) bred, reared and processed in the UK, (b) bred and reared abroad and then processed in the UK and (c) bred, reared and processed abroad in the last year for which figures are available.

James Paice: Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) figures for 2010 show that a total of 406,000 tonnes of bacon was sold in the UK. 31% of this came from pigs bred, reared and processed in the UK (126,000 tonnes). For the remainder (280,000 tonnes), we are unable to differentiate whether the bacon has come from pigs bred and reared abroad and then processed in the UK, or bred, reared and processed abroad.
	Source:
	EBLEX/AHDB—A pocketful of meat facts 2011

Trees: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking in conjunction with the designated authorities in the Brighton and East Sussex Dutch elm disease control area to safeguard the area's elm tree population;
	(2)  if she will make it her policy to support proposals to protect the national elm collection by conferring UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Status on Preston Park, Brighton;
	(3)  if she will take steps to protect the oldest remaining English elms, the Preston Park Twins.

James Paice: The authorities in the Brighton and East Sussex Dutch elm control area have the legislative powers necessary to safeguard the area's elm population. These powers are set out in the Dutch Elm Disease (Local Authorities) Order 1984.
	Brighton and Hove's application for Biosphere Reserve status will be considered against the UNESCO criteria and, if appropriate, endorsed by the UK Man and the Biosphere Committee of which DEFRA is a member. The final decision on any application rests with UNESCO. However, such a designation would not of itself affect the legal powers already available to local authorities to protect elms.

Waste Prevention Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what funding her Department plans to allocate to the Waste Prevention Fund in each of the next four years;
	(2)  how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to the Waste and Resources Action programme's mixed plastics loan fund in each of the last four years; and how much funding she has allocated in each of the next three years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA allocates a grant on an annual basis to the Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) to deliver a programme of work for England. We set out what we want WRAP to deliver in our Strategic Steer, but WRAP is responsible for allocating its budget to achieve the outcomes we specify.
	WRAP is currently developing the Waste Prevention Fund, and has allocated £1 million to it.
	The Mixed Plastic Loans Fund was established by WRAP in 2010-11 with funding of £2 million.
	As with all of WRAP'S programmes, WRAP will evaluate the Funds on an ongoing basis to ensure that they provides good value for money.

Wildlife: Circuses

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice she has received on the use of wild animals in circuses.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has considered the request for the release of legal advice provided to her in relation to the issue of wild animals in circuses. The advice is protected by legal professional privilege and the Government's position is that they do not ordinarily waive the legal privilege attaching to any legal advice received and the Secretary of State does not propose to do so on this occasion.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Injuries

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what collaborative work his Department is undertaking with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on trauma injury treatment.

Andrew Robathan: While the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not currently engaged in any collaborative research work with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the MOD is working in the area of trauma injury treatment with other United States Department of Defense (US DoD) areas. Examples are as follows:
	Peripheral vascular trauma: Reperfusion strategies after vascular repair. Assessing the use of Erythropoietin (EPO) and statin to mitigate reperfusion injury in a model of hind limb ischaemia.
	USA Collaborator: United States Armed Forces (USAF) Wilford Hall, Texas.
	Development of a novel quality of limb tool to assess patient based functional outcomes following limb-threatening injury.
	USA Collaborator: USAF Wilford Hall, Texas.
	Temporary vascular shunting and strategies for mitigation of reperfusion injury.
	USA Collaborator: USAF Wilford Hall, Texas.
	Post-operational deployment Mental Health Screening study.
	US DoD.
	In addition, following the recent visit by President Obama we have set up a UK/US taskforce with the express aim of leveraging best practice from each other on medical and personnel issues.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what collaborative work his Department is undertaking with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory on trauma injury treatment.

Andrew Robathan: Current areas of research undertaken collaboratively with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on trauma injury are:
	Addressing pre- and in-hospital fluid resuscitation strategies (with and without adjuncts) and their impact on, for example, survival, physiology, immunology and clotting;
	Addressing potential treatment strategies for blast injury and their effects on physiology and inflammation;
	Investigating the mechanism of blast brain and assessment of potential biomarkers;
	Investigating the impact of blast on vascular injury; and
	Assessment of anti-microbial wound dressings in a military setting.
	Specific ongoing work strands are:
	Trauma coagulopathy;
	Battlefield pain management;
	Limb trauma, vascular endothelial changes following blast injuries;
	Reperfusion injury;
	Markers of oedema (HIF1);
	Morphine in a human volunteer model of hypovolemic trauma;
	Effects of supplementary oxygen and recombinant activated factor Vila on coagulopathy after trauma;
	High efficiency supplemental oxygen mask to enable effective medical use of oxygen supplies in theatre and enhance physical and mental performance of personnel operating at altitude;
	Developing a non-linear method of trauma outcome prediction;
	Thromboelastogram (TEG) in goal-directed management of trauma coagulopathy;
	TEG changes with resuscitation/fibrinolysis after trauma;
	Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy (NIRS) in the assessment of major haemorrhage and trauma;
	Developing complex extremity wound model and evaluation of dressings, fracture fixation and infection.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on plans to outsource armed forces recruitment to the private sector.

Andrew Robathan: All three services have an extensive array of contracts to support their recruiting process.
	The Army has set up a Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) to outsource its recruitment. It is anticipated that an invitation for bidders to submit their final tenders will be issued later this year.
	The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force already outsource discrete elements of their recruiting and assessment processes, such as contact centre services, medical and fitness testing and various marketing and advertising activities.

Defence: Research

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his Department’s policy is on the release into the public domain of classified research undertaken at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory;
	(2)  what process his Department uses to determine whether new UK military research and development projects should be classified.

Peter Luff: The Government protective marking system, which is used by Government Departments and agencies, is designed to protect sensitive material. Once applied, the marking values the material in terms of the damage likely to result were it comprised and determines the level of protection required to secure it. Protectively marked material, including “classified research,” is not releasable into the “public domain.”
	As a trading fund of the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is required to comply with that system.

Defence: Research

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that military research and development expertise is disseminated to other Government Departments and agencies.

Peter Luff: Strong links exist across Government and the chief scientific advisers from Departments; they and their officials meet regularly. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has increased its exchanges with the security sector following the development of the National Security Strategy, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The Equipment, Support, and Technology for UK Defence and Security consultation paper explored these issues in more detail. A White Paper will be produced later in the year.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans' badges his Department has issued in each parliamentary constituency in each year since the scheme's inception.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held in the format requested.
	As at 31 May 2011, 836,659 Veterans' Lapel Badges have been recorded as being issued to former members of the armed forces and entitled dependants.

HMS Endurance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where HMS Endurance is berthed; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: HMS Endurance is berthed in Portsmouth Naval Base.

HMS Protector

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the length is of the contract to rent HMS Protector; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 June 2011, Official Report, columns 830-31W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).

Rescue Services

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on (a) replacement of the Sea King search and rescue helicopter and (b) the future provision of search and rescue capability; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: Following the cancellation of the previous procurement process on 8 February 2011, the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Defence are considering the potential procurement options to meet the future requirements for search and rescue helicopters in the United Kingdom, including replacement of the Sea Kings. We will make a further announcement once a way forward has been agreed.

Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in (i) Scotland, (ii) South Lanarkshire and (iii) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: No reliable or comprehensive figure is available. Such information as we do possess does not include payments made by Government Procurement Card or payments for goods and services agreed locally by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and suppliers, as in both cases, neither the location of the work nor whether a supplier is a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) is recorded.
	There is no central store of data which would allow the calculation of a separate estimate for agencies and therefore this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, in this context, and based on a sample of contracts, we estimate that around 50 of the circa 6,000 new contracts placed directly by the MOD in 2010-11 across the UK are known to have been awarded to Scottish-based SMEs. Significantly, this figure does not include contracts and payments made by the MOD's prime contractors through their supply chain, which are extensive and include a high proportion of SMEs.
	The location of work data held on MOD systems does not align with parliamentary constituencies and thus does not allow for separate calculations for South Lanarkshire and Rutherglen and Hamilton West to be made.
	The Department values highly the contribution of SMEs to Defence, who often bring a level of innovation and flexibility that cannot be replicated by larger companies. Following the consultation Green Paper on Equipment Support and Technology for UK Defence and Security issued in December, the MOD is developing a number of proposals to improve access to Defence contract opportunities for small businesses, and these will be set out in a Defence White Paper later this year.

Trident Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 82, on nuclear weapons, whether any part of the £59 million spent on United States high steam generators and technology contributed to the design of the PWR3 Trident reactor.

Peter Luff: Of the £59 million, £25 million has contributed solely to the PWR3 reactor concept design work. The remaining £34 million was spent on work and technology in support of the wider next generation propulsion plant concept phase assessment and design work.

United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) establishment and (b) budget of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is; and what plans he has for its future.

Andrew Robathan: The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) manpower establishment for financial year 2011-12 is 1,152 average full-time equivalent.
	The UKHO is expected to receive £11.977 million from voted funds for 2011-12, in order to fund the national hydrographic programme, defence specific requirements and the purchase of standard products by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
	Total turnover of the UKHO for the year ended 31 March 2010 was £116.6 million.
	The asset management review that took place last year concluded that the UKHO will remain an Executive Agency of the MOD and operate as a trading fund. It has since been confirmed that the additional marketing, information management and technology, external assistance and recruitment constraints imposed in May 2010 have been removed and the UKHO can now operate fully within the governance of the framework document.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equalities Act 2010

Julian Huppert: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has to (a) bring into force those sections of the Equalities Act 2010 that have not been brought into force and(b)bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Equalities Act 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 21 June 2011
	The Government have already announced that they do not intend to take forward the Act's provisions on the socio-economic duty (sections 1-3), dual discrimination (section 14), and Schedule 20 (certification and enforcement regime for rail accessibility). We will not commence section 78 (gender pay gap information) while we are working with business and others to ensure a voluntary approach is successful. We have been consulting on age discrimination in services, civil partnerships on religious premises and specific public sector equality duties. We will decide whether or not to commence the Act's remaining provisions, in the light of what we consider best for business and other interested parties.
	We have already announced our intention to consult on harassment of employees by third parties. Any further proposals to amend the Act will reflect the outcome of its review as part of the Red Tape Challenge and would need to go through the normal procedures. We have made clear that there is no intention to abolish the Act or to dilute the protections it offers.

Crime

Aidan Burley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps her Department is taking to reduce the incidence of hate crime against people with a learning disability.

Lynne Featherstone: Everyone should have the freedom to live their lives free from fear of targeted hostility or harassment, and the Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously, including those committed against people with a learning disability. We are working with the police, disabled people's organisations and others to improve the reporting and recording of disability hate crime, and to better protect repeat and vulnerable victims.

TREASURY

Corporation Tax: Tax Avoidance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2011, Official Report, column 324W, if he will commission an assessment of the corporation tax gap attributable to avoidance by small and medium-sized businesses based in the UK.

David Gauke: HMRC's most recent estimates of tax gaps were published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2010”
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
	in September 2010. HMRC continues to review the methodologies used to produce tax gap estimates in the light of new information and data with the intention of producing finer levels of analysis of the tax gap in future publications. This will include more robust analysis of the taxpayer behaviours underlying the tax gap.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations his Department introduced between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011; and what the estimated costs of implementation for those affected were in each case.

Justine Greening: Between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011, the Treasury has introduced the following statutory instruments:
	
		
			 Statutory instrument number Name of regulation introduced Costs/Savings and further information 
			 No. 2011/593 The Mutual Societies (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 There are no costs of implementation, In conjunction with The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 2011 this results in savings of £10.2 million per year. 
			 No. 2011/883 The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. These revoked The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 1993 Regulations, but all the provisions in the 1993 regulations were included with amendments to allow electronic communications 
			 No. 2011/605 The Libya (Asset- Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/887 The Egypt (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/888 The Tunisia (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/1086 The Ivory Coast (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/1094 The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/1129 The Iran (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/1244 The Syria (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/783 The National Savings Bank (Amendment) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/1306 The First Option Bonds (Exchange of Securities) Rules 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/826 The Pensions Increase (Modification) Regulations 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
			 No. 2011/827 The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2011 There are no costs of compliance. 
			 No. 2011/1301 The Investment Bank Special Administration (England and Wales) Rules 2011 There are no costs of implementation. 
		
	
	
		
			 No. 2011/1336 The Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 (Permanent Effect) Order 2011 There are no additional costs of implementation. This measure continues a system put in place in 2010. Since it is renewing an existing provision, it does not fall in scope of One In One Out. Annual costs of the original measure were estimated to be £26 million a year, with benefits of £26 million for heavily indebted poor countries. 
			 No. 2011/723 The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2011. This statutory instrument was laid but is not regulatory. 
			 No. 2011/1268 The Whole of Government Accounts (Designation of Bodies) Order 2011. This statutory instrument was laid but is not regulatory. 
			 No. 2011/892 The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 (Commencement No.1) Order 2011. This statutory instrument was laid but is not regulatory.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the name is of each regulatory measure revoked by his Department between 1 March and 31 May 2011; and what estimate he has made of the potential annual saving to those affected by each revocation.

Justine Greening: Between 1 March 2011 and 31 May 2011, the Treasury has introduced the following statutory instruments which include revocations of previous regulations:
	
		
			 Statutory instrument number Name of regulation revoked Costs/savings Further information 
			 No. 2011/883 The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 1993 Savings of £10.2 million per year in conjunction with the Mutual Societies (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 2011 revoked The Friendly Societies (Proxy Voting) Regulations 1993 (as of 1 October 2011), but all the provisions in the 1993 regulations were included with amendments to allow electronic communications 
			     
			 No. 2011/1265 Companies (Single Member Private Limited Companies) Regulations 1992 and Companies (Single Member Private Limited Companies) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1992 No estimated potential saving or costs Article 32 of The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Order 2011 revokes the Companies (Single Member Private Limited Companies) Regulations 1992 and Companies (Single Member Private Limited Companies) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1992

Departmental Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much each executive agency of his Department has spent on travel by (a) private hire vehicles, (b) trains, (c) buses, (d) commercial aircraft and (e) private aircraft since May 2010;
	(2)  how much has been spent on travel in respect of (a) each of his Department's executive agencies and (b) the chief executive of each such agency since May 2010.

Justine Greening: The information requested for the Treasury's Executive Agencies, the Debt Management Office and the Asset Protection Agency, between May 2010 and 31 March 2011 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £000 
			  DMO APA 
			 Total travel spending 44 28 
			 Of which:   
			 Taxis 3 2 
			 Trains 9 1 
			 Buses 0 0 
			 Commercial aircraft 31 26 
			 Private aircraft 0 0 
			 Chief Executive (1)17 1 
			 (1 )A breakdown of this cost can be found on the DMO website: http://www.dmo.gov.uk/documentview.aspx?docname=publications/corpgovernance/BusinessExpenses2010-11.pdf&page=corporate_governance/Documents

Mutual Societies

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had discussions with the Financial Services Authority on ensuring that its consultation requirements for any proposed rule change take account of the likely effects of the change on mutuals in the financial services sector.

Mark Hoban: The Financial Services Authority is required currently to assess the impact of proposed rules across all regulated firms, including mutuals, as part of the cost benefit analysis which it must publish alongside draft rules.
	The Government now proposes to strengthen these arrangements with respect to mutuals, as set out in the White Paper and draft Bill published on 16 June. The draft Bill includes provision requiring the new regulatory authorities to publish analysis of how draft rules may differentially affect mutual and non-mutual firms.

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children in each region were living in persistent poverty in each of the last five years; and if he will estimate the equivalent figures for each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of the proportion of children living in persistent poverty are published in the Low Income Dynamics (LID) series. LID uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	As they are based on survey data, child poverty estimates published in LID only allow breakdowns to UK level and analysis by region is not possible. However, figures for the UK are set out in the following table. The latest persistent poverty data cover 2005-08.
	Persistent poverty is defined as the percentage of children living in relative low income for at least three out of the last four years. As a result the percentages shown in the table reflect the four-year period over which they were derived.
	It is not possible to estimate persistent poverty by region for future years. Modelled tax and benefit reforms announced since Budget 2010 may have a small reduction in relative child poverty in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for the UK overall; however given the uncertainty around these types of estimates, this change may be on the edge of statistical significance.
	
		
			 Percentage of children living in persistent poverty before housing costs (BHC), UK 
			 Period Persistent poverty (%) 
			 2001-02 12 
			 2002-05 11 
			 2003-06 10 
			 2004-07 10 
			 2005-08 12 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Low Income Dynamics (LID) data sourced from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified McClements equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs. 4. These statistics are publicly available in the Low income Dynamics on the DWP website: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/low_income/low_income_dynamics_1991-2008.pdf Source: Low Income Dynamics, DWP

Tax Avoidance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of avoidance of each direct and indirect tax in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date.

David Gauke: Estimates for the level of avoidance in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 are not available.
	The latest estimate is that avoidance accounted for 17.5% of the total tax gap in 2007-08, approximately £7 billion. This estimate was published in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2010’ in September 2010:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
	HMRC continues to review the methodologies used to produce tax gap estimates in the light of new information and data with the intention of producing finer levels of analysis of the tax gap in the future.

Tax Evasion

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the level of evasion of each direct and indirect tax in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 to date.

David Gauke: Estimates for the level of evasion in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 are not available.
	The latest estimate is that evasion accounted for 17.5% of the total tax gap in 2007-08, approximately £7 billion. This estimate was published in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2010’ in September 2010:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps-2010.htm.pdf
	HMRC continues to review the methodologies used to produce tax gap estimates in the light of new information and data with the intention of producing finer levels of analysis of the tax gap in the future.

WORK AND PENSIONS

A New Approach to Child Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to paragraph 1.10 of his Department's publication A New Approach to Child Poverty, how many people in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency are recorded as being in multiple disadvantage.

Maria Miller: The child poverty strategy ‘A new approach to child poverty: tackling the causes of disadvantage and transforming families’ lives’ references the ‘State of the Nation’ report. The ‘State of the Nation Report’(1) contains information about the prevalence and trends of multiple disadvantage and highlights those most at risk at a national level. The number of people suffering from multiple disadvantage is not available at a regional or a constituency level.
	National estimates of the number of families with multiple problems are available from the Families and Children Survey. This information is not available by region or constituency.
	(1) Cabinet Office (2010) ‘State of the Nation’ Based on Analysis by Strategy Unit and Social Exclusion Task Force using BHPS 2007 data. Being at risk of multiple disadvantage entails being disadvantaged at any one time in three or more of six areas from the wider definition of multiple disadvantage which uses the following indicators: either live in a workless household or are unemployed; are either in income poverty or material disadvantage or financial stress; lack social support; either have poor physical or mental health; either live in poor housing or a poor living environment; have low qualifications.

Access to Work Programme

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) the North East and (b) the City of Sunderland participated in the Access to Work programme in each year since 2007.

Maria Miller: The following table shows the number of individuals helped on the Access to Work programme each year since April 2007 and up to 31 December 2010(1, 2):
	(1) Figures for Sunderland central parliamentary constituency are included within Sunderland local authority
	(2) Source: Access to Work database. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	
		
			 Area 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Q1, Q2and Q3 2010-11 
			 North East Government Office Region 1,760 1,890 2,190 1,810 
			 Sunderland local authority 200 200 240 190 
			 Sunderland central parliamentary constituency 70 70 90 70 
			 Great Britain 27,720 32,130 37,300 32,680

Children: Maintenance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to develop an integrated network of local support services to help parents make maintenance arrangements on separation; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Government set out their vision for the child maintenance system in the Green Paper “Strengthening families, promoting parental responsibility: the future of child maintenance”. The consultation period ended on 7 April. The proposals seek to encourage parents to recognise their ongoing responsibilities following separation, and to support more separating families to work together to make arrangements that are in the best interests of their children.
	Our discussions with the voluntary and community sector during the consultation period indicate that the vision to join up existing support to families, including support available locally, is shared by this sector. While excellent support already exists, it can be difficult for parents to access it when they need it.
	We are working with the voluntary and community sector to understand how best to facilitate the joining up of local support, as well as working closely with the Department for Education as we build the evidence base on what support is most effective for different families. The Government are also awaiting the findings of the child poverty pilots to understand what approaches to co-locating services together are most effective in supporting separating families.
	We aim to publish the Government's response to the consultation shortly.

Children: Maintenance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of increasing the use of direct payment of child maintenance by deduction from earnings.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the merits of increasing the use of direct payment of child maintenance by deduction from earnings.
	Deduction from Earnings Orders are an effective means of collecting child maintenance either through a non-resident parent opting for this method of payment or where it is imposed following a non-resident parent's continued refusal to pay by other means.
	However, imposing these orders more frequently could place an unreasonable burden of additional work on employers and increase the administrative cost of operating the statutory child maintenance system.
	The Government wants to encourage parents to work together, and where possible, make arrangements for child maintenance between themselves. .However, for cases where family-based arrangements are not appropriate or have broken down there will still be access to the statutory scheme which will use all the powers at its disposal to secure regular payment of child maintenance.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental ICT

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to promote visual data security in his Department; and what training his Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security.

Chris Grayling: The Department takes most seriously its statutory responsibilities to ensure that personal data and other sensitive information is properly safeguarded.
	The vast majority of information used by the Department is stored, handled and processed on secure premises, which therefore reduces the risk of inappropriate viewing by third parties.
	All employees are required to undergo annual training to remind them of their individual responsibilities to protect information, while on and off the Department's premises, so as to prevent unauthorised access or viewing by third parties.
	However, where risk assessments indicate that additional steps are required, these will include a range of measures, including for example, the use of privacy filters for portable computers, and restricting employee use of personal phones, during working time.
	The Department requires that all portable electronic media, such as laptops are encrypted to the relevant standard, so as to additionally protect the information they contain.

Disability Living Allowance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of (a) incapacity benefit, (b) disability living allowance and (c) severe disablement allowance in respect of each type of disability there were in each year since 2006; and how much was spent in each category in each such year.

Maria Miller: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available has been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether recipients of disability living allowance may work for up to 16 hours per week.

Maria Miller: Disability living allowance is paid in or out of work. This principle will be preserved in the new benefit—personal independence payment.

Disability: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age in Bassetlaw constituency his Department recognises as having a disability.

Maria Miller: Figures regarding the number of disabled people in the UK are estimated using the Family Resources Survey. Owing to sample size restrictions, figures can be provided only at the regional level, therefore we cannot provide an estimate of the number of disabled people of working age in the Bassetlaw constituency.

Employment and Support Allowance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of benefit claimants received (a) income and (b) contribution-based (i) employment and support allowance and (ii) jobseeker's allowance in Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency in the last year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is given as follows.
	
		
			 Jobseeker's allowance claimants in the Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency by type and percentage 
			  Total Contributory based only % of contributory only cases Income   based and contributory based % of contributory and income based cases Income based only % of income based only cases No benefit in payment % of nil benefit cases 
			 February 2010 1,800 *300 17 — — 1,100 61 *400 22 
			 May 2010 1,700 *200 12 — — 1,100 65 *400 24 
			 August 2010 1,600 *200 13 — — 1,200 75 *200 13 
			 November 2010 1,700 *400 24 — — 1,200 71 *100 6 
			 “—” Denotes nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Figures are based on 5% sample data. All figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. Numbers marked “*” are based on very few sample cases and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation, therefore these figures should be used as a guide only. 4. Caseload figures have been uprated by using 5% proportions against 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data. 5. Percentages are shown to the nearest whole number. 6. Income based only category includes hardship cases. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% samples 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment support allowance claimants in the Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency by type and percentage 
			  Total Contributory based only % of contributory only cases Income based and contributory based % of contributory and income based cases Income based only % of income based only cases No benefit in payment % of nil benefit cases 
			 February 2010 500 140 28 30 6 230 46 100 20 
			 May 2010 640 180 28 50 8 300 47 120 19 
			 August 2010 690 210 30 60 9 320 46 110 16 
			 November 2010 740 210 28 70 9 360 49 100 14 
			 Notes: 1. Employment support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit for new claims from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Percentages are shown to the nearest whole number. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of contributory employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group have as a primary or other medical condition (a) Parkinson's disease, (b) multiple sclerosis and (c) a severe visual impairment or are registered blind; and in each case how many have been in receipt of the benefit, including any period in the assessment phase, for one year or more.

Chris Grayling: Entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) is based on an assessment of functional capability, not on medical condition or diagnosis. The medical condition recorded on a claim form does not therefore in itself confer entitlement to ESA. So, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of Parkinson's disease would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities assessed by the Work Capability Assessment. It is also important to note that, where someone has more than one diagnosis or disabling condition, only the predominant one is currently recorded.
	From April 2012 onwards, it is proposed that claimants of contributory ESA in the Assessment phase or Work Related Activity Group will have their contributory benefit time-limited to 12 months. However, for those who leave contributory ESA as a result of the time limit, it is estimated that around 60%, or approximately 400,000 people, are expected to be fully or partially compensated by income-related ESA, so will retain entitlement to ESA.
	People in the Support Group will not have their benefit time-limited because they have the most severe health conditions or impairments and are the least likely to move into work. People receiving income-related ESA will not have their benefit time-limited.
	There will be some people leaving the benefit because their health improves; others’ health will deteriorate and they will move from the WRAG into the Support Group. Those claimants that remain in the WRAG will include claimants whose conditions fluctuate or who have developed other functional impairments.
	The following tables show the number of claimants in receipt of contributory ESA in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) phase, the Support Group phase and the Assessment phase by main disabling condition and duration, as at November 2010.
	
		
			 Contributory ESA claimants in the WRAG by health condition and duration, November 2010 
			 Primary health condition Total claimants Duration of one year or more 
			 Parkinson's disease 300 190 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 1,030 680 
			 Blindness and low vision 380 210 
			 All other health conditions 79,950 47,680 
		
	
	
		
			 Contributory ESA claimants in the Support Group by health condition and duration, November 2010 
			 Primary health condition Total claimants Duration of one year or more 
			 Parkinson's disease 200 140 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 830 550 
			 Blindness and low vision 70 40 
			 All other health conditions 27,600 15,090 
		
	
	
		
			 Contributory ESA claimants in the Assessment phase by health condition and duration, November 2010 
			 Primary health condition Total claimants Duration of one year or more 
			 Parkinson's disease 230 30 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 630 90 
		
	
	
		
			 Blindness and low vision 150 20 
			 All other health conditions 129,510 21,530 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Payment type: The type of ESA is defined as payment status as at end November 2010—this may differ to the status at the start or end of the claim. 3. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 4. Phase of ESA claim is derived from payment details held on the source system. The three phases are Assessment phase, Work related activity phase and Support group phase. Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of (a) contributory employment and support allowance in the work-related activity group and (b) contributory jobseekers' allowance have paid qualifying National Insurance contributions for (i) five years or more, (ii) 10 years or more and (iii) 15 years or more.

Chris Grayling: Information on the amount of national insurance contributions paid by contributory employment and support allowance/jobseeker's allowance claimants could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents on income support are eligible for fee remission on the basis of their benefit eligibility; and what estimate he has made of the equivalent figure in September 2011.

Maria Miller: The Government recognise the importance that education and training can play in helping people find work and is committed to making sure that appropriate publicly-funded support is available for those who are required to engage in the labour market as a condition of receiving benefits.
	All lone parents on income support in England are currently eligible to have any work-related training offered via Jobcentre Plus fully funded by public funds. The training offered will vary by location.
	From August 2011, lone parents in England who have a basic literacy or numeracy need will be eligible for the fully-funded training that is available to all regardless of benefit status. Adults who need a first NVQ level 2 qualification, or if they are aged 19 to 24 years old and need a first NVQ level 3, will also be eligible to receive fully-funded training. Other training will no longer attract full fee remission. Lone parents in receipt of income support who commenced training in the current academic year and who are still engaged in this training in August will be able to complete their training on a fully-funded basis.
	Lone parents who are in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance will continue to be eligible for full fee-remission for training that will help them gain the skills required in the local labour market.
	Early estimates for the number of lone parents on income support in Great Britain in April 2011 is 600,000. As of April 2011 there were 118,195 lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance (DWP official statistics).
	A forecast of the number of lone parents in receipt of either income support or jobseeker's allowance in September 2011 is not available.

Jobcentre Plus

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus officials at what locations have been made compulsorily redundant since May 2007.

Chris Grayling: No Jobcentre Plus staff have been made compulsorily redundant since May 2007.

Jobcentre Plus: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether Jobcentre Plus has entered into any sale and leaseback arrangements for its buildings in Scotland in the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of disposal of the Jobcentre Plus centre in Ayr;
	(3)  what funding his Department has allocated for capital expenditure on the Jobcentre Plus contact centre in Ayr in each of the last six years.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking whether Jobcentre Plus has entered into any sale and leaseback arrangements for its buildings in Scotland over the last five years; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of disposal of the Jobcentre Plus centre in Ayr and what funding his Department has allocated for capital expenditure on the Jobcentre Plus contact centre in Ayr in each of the last six years. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	DWP does not own its own estate. The Department signed a 20 year Private Finance Initiative contract with Telereal Trillium in 1998 for the provision of fully fitted and serviced accommodation for which the Department pays an all inclusive unitary charge. As such the closure of the Jobcentre Plus centre in Ayr will reduce the overall cost of the contract and any costs incurred in the disposal will be recouped within an approved period.
	The contract with Telereal Trillium means that our estates partner is responsible for maintaining all of our sites to the required standard. There has been no other capital investment in the Jobcentre Plus Contact Centre in Clydebank in the last six years.

Jobcentre Plus: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of the closure of the Jobcentre Plus centre in Ayr on the provision of client services in that area.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what assessment he has made of the effects of the closure of the Jobcentre Plus centre in Ayr on the provision of client services in that area. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Ayr Benefit Centre processes Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit on behalf of Jobcentre Plus. It is one of five centres across the country that handle this work. This means that Ayr Benefit Centre deals with claims and changes of circumstance from all over Great Britain, rather than just the local area. Therefore, there should be no impact on client services within the area, and this work will be transferred to another Benefit Centre within our network.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011, Official Report, columns 587-8W, on jobseeker's allowance, whether his Department has revised its projection of the (a) jobseeker's allowance claimant count, (b) jobseeker's allowance claimant counted aged 16 to 24 years old, (c) average weekly jobseeker's allowance payment and (d) average weekly jobseeker's allowance payments to those claimants aged 16 to 24 years old in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not produce forecasts of unemployment. The Department produces projections for business planning purposes which are aligned to the overall independent claimant count forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of the Budget 2011 Forecast.
	The information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 OBR claimant count (UK, thousand) 1,553 1,509 1,397 1,281 
			 Projected 16-24 case load (GB, thousand) 378 340 320 303 
			 Average payment (£ per week) 62.11 65.16 66.65 68.01 
			 Notes: 1. Claimant count figures represent an average point-in-time caseload for each financial year. 2. These figures do not take into account any effect from the Work Programme. 3. These figures include the effects of recent welfare reforms, such as the reassessment of incapacity benefit claimants, which have a lesser effect on those aged 16-24. 4. Figures are subject to a significant degree of uncertainty. Sources: OBR and DWP internal planning 
		
	
	The Department does not make any projection of the average benefit payment for 16 to 24-year-olds.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of (a) jobseeker's allowance claimants working less than 16 hours a week and(b)income support claimants are in part-time education or training in (i) Central Ayrshire constituency and (ii) Scotland.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many children were living in households with both (a) low income and (b) material deprivation in each region in each of the last five years; and if he will estimate the equivalent figures for each of the next five years;
	(2)  how many children were living in relative low income households in each region in each of the last five years; and what his estimate is of the equivalent numbers in each of the next five years.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	The Government's measure of material deprivation combines material deprivation and low income. The following table shows the number and percentage of children living in (a) relative poverty, Before Housing Costs (BHC) and (b) combined material deprivation and low income (BHC) in each region. The following data covers 2005-06 to 2007-08 and 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	It is not possible to estimate low income and material deprivation or relative low income by region for future years. Modelled tax and benefit reforms announced since Budget 2010 may have a small reduction in relative child poverty in 2011-12 and 2012-13 for the UK overall; however given the uncertainty around these types of estimates, this change may be on the edge of statistical significance.
	
		
			 Number (million) and percentage 
			  Relative poverty Combined material deprivation and low income 
			  2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2007-08 2007-08 to 2009-10 2005-06 to 2007-08 2006-07 to 2007-08 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			 Region No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
			 England 2.4 22 2.4 22 2.3 21 1.8 17 1.8 17 1.8 17 
			 North East 0.1 28 0.1 28 0.1 26 0.1 20 0.1 20 0.1 21 
			 North West 0.4 27 0.4 26 0.4 25 0.3 20 0.3 21 0.3 22 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.3 26 0.3 26 0.3 26 0.2 17 0.2 19 0.2 20 
			 East Midlands 0.2 26 0.2 25 0.2 23 0.2 19 0.2 19 0.2 18 
			 West Midlands 0.3 27 0.3 29 0.3 29 0.2 21 0.2 21 0.3 22 
			 East of England 0.2 15 0.2 16 0.2 16 0.1 10 0.1 11 0.1 11 
			 London 0.4 23 0.4 22 0.3 20 0.3 21 0.3 19 0.3 16 
			 South East 0.3 15 0.3 15 0.2 14 0.2 11 0.2 11 0.2 10 
			 South West 0.2 18 0.2 17 0.2 16 0.1 13 0.1 14 0.1 13 
			 Scotland 0.2 21 0.2 21 0.2 20 0.1 15 0.2 16 0.2 15 
			 Wales 0.2 27 0.2 26 0.2 25 0.1 17 0.1 17 0.1 20 
			 Northern Ireland 0.1 24 0.1 24 0.1 26 0.1 14 0.1 14 0.1 16 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures are single financial years. Three survey years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes Before Housing Costs.  6. These statistics are publicly available in the Households Below Average Income Report on the DWP website: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paqe=hbai 7. Each of the measures is defined as: Relative poverty is defined as children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. Low Income and Material Deprivation: percentage of children living in households in material deprivation and with less than 70% of contemporary median household income. Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the devolved administrations to discuss child poverty since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), his ministerial team and the Department's officials have regular discussions with the devolved Administrations and other stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including child poverty. For example, representatives from the UK Government regularly engage with colleagues from the devolved Administrations as part of the Four Nations Forum on Child Poverty.

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in deprived households in each year between 1981 and 1990.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	The question asks about children living in deprived households, which I have interpreted as income below 60% of contemporary median income.
	The following table shows the number and proportion of children with income below 60% of contemporary median income, before housing costs (BHC) in the available years between 1981 and 1990.
	
		
			 Period Number of children in millions Percentage 
			 1981 2.6 19 
			 1987 2.8 23 
			 1988 and 1989 3.1 25 
			 1990 and 1991 3.4 27 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Expenditure survey (FES). FES uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. FES figures are for the United Kingdom. These are single calendar years for 1981, and 1987; two combined calendar years from 1988 to 1991. 4. Numbers of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, while proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 5. These statistics are based on incomes before housing costs. 6. Relative poverty is defined as children living in households with less than 60% of contemporary median household income. 7. These statistics are publicly available in the households below average income report on the DWP website:  http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?paae=hbaivl

Training Premium

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Sunderland were in receipt of the training premium in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested on numbers in receipt of the training premium is not available.

Unemployment: Ayrshire

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Central Ayrshire constituency aged 16 to 64 years were not in education, employment or training in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: In the year to September 2010 the number of people aged 16 to 64 in the Central Ayrshire constituency who were not in education, employment or training averaged around 15,000.

Vocational Training: Scotland

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Central Ayrshire constituency and (b) Scotland are registered as participating in a training course arranged by his Department.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many people in (a) Central Ayrshire constituency and (b) Scotland are registered on a training course arranged by his Department. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus refers customers to various training opportunities that are available. These could be nationally based opportunities or those only available locally. Our advisers are also able to refer customers to training provision that is not necessarily organised, arranged or paid for by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	As a result, we have no centrally held records that inform us how many of our customers are registered on a training course at any one time. However Jobcentre Plus does record ‘opportunities’, be they training or some other type of work related activity that is not directly employment, for example work experience.
	For 2010/11 and April and May of 2011/12 the total number of customers recorded as being referred to an opportunity in Scotland was 31,418. Similarly 3,392 customers were referred in the district that covers Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway. In addition advisers may refer customers to local training provision that does not get recorded on our national system; therefore these figures may be understated.
	The source of the data is an internal system called EPR (Employment Provision Reporting).This is a performance management, data capture and reporting tool. This type of internal management information does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority's Code of Practice.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer (a) questions 53714, 53716 and 53717, tabled on 26 April 2001 for written answer on 28 April 2011, (b) questions 52465, 52515 and 52510, tabled on 5 April 2011 for written answer on 26 April 2011, (c) question 44387, tabled on 1 March 2011 for written answer on 3 March 2011 and (d) question 40572, tabled on 9 February 2011 for written answer on 11 February 2011.

Steve Webb: holding answer 17 May 2011
	The hon. Member's questions were replied to as follows:
	53714 on 11 May 2011, Official Report, columns 1243-44W;
	53716 on 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 103W;
	53717 on 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 132W;
	52465 on 12 May 2011, Official Report, column 1336W;
	52515 on 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 134W;
	52510 on 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 1246W;
	44387 on 12 May 2011, Official Report, columns 1339-40W;
	40572 on 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 592W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Elections

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he is taking steps to ensure increased competition amongst companies dealing with elections.

Mark Harper: The responsibility for the conduct and delivery of elections, including the purchasing of all necessary equipment and software to run the polls, rests with locally appointed returning officers. The Government do not, therefore, have a role in the administration of individual elections on the ground. The Government's role is to maintain the legislative framework within which elections are run and to provide returning officers with funding for UK parliamentary and European parliamentary elections. It is therefore not the Government's role to promote competition directly among companies which provide electoral services, although we ensure that returning officers are aware of the need for value for money judgments to be made when purchasing equipment or procuring services for the conduct of the elections from suppliers.
	The Government look to ensure that best value for money is achieved when entering directly into contracts with electoral suppliers and that the relevant legislative requirements are followed with regard to procurement.
	Anti-competitive agreements and practices that have the effect of restricting or distorting competition, and abuse of market power by companies that have dominance in a market are outlawed by the prohibitions contained in the Competition Act 1998. Responsibility for enforcement falls to the Office of Fair Trading which has been given significant powers to investigate and act where it finds companies have breached those provisions.

HEALTH

Cancer: Drugs

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received support from the Cancer Drugs Fund in the Worcestershire Primary Care Trust area.

Paul Burstow: Information at primary care trust level is not collected centrally.
	The Cancer Drugs Fund was launched on 1 April 2011 to help thousands of cancer patients access the drugs their clinicians believe will help them. We made an additional £50 million available to strategic health authorities in 2010-11 which has already helped over 2,400 patients in England to access the cancer drugs their clinicians recommended.

Cannabis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons pharmaceutical companies have been licensed to develop cannabis-based medicines to be dispensed in the UK; and what consideration he has given to licensing the dispensation of similar medicines in naturally-grown formats.

Simon Burns: The Government accepted that there was a need to explore whether cannabinoids had therapeutic properties and could be developed as an approved medicine for multiple sclerosis sufferers.
	We are advised that the issue of licences to companies to manufacture, using controlled substances on specific premises, is the responsibility of the Home Office.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive Agency of the Department of Health, is responsible for ensuring that medicines available in the United Kingdom are efficacious and acceptably safe. The MHRA will only grant a marketing authorisation for any given product once it is satisfied that the product is safe, efficacious and of an acceptable quality for use in specific medical treatments in the defined patient population and it can only do so in response to the submission of an application to market a product.
	At this time, no application has been made to the MHRA in relation to ‘naturally-grown formats’ of cannabis. The only cannabis-based medicine to be licensed in the UK is Sativex, a product licensed for use as an add-on treatment for multiple sclerosis-related spasticity when people have shown inadequate response to other symptomatic treatments or found their side effects intolerable. It is based on extracts of two specific varieties of cannabis and controlled so as to produce a product with consistent properties.

Children: Diseases

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to review its appraisal mechanism for treatments for (a) children and (b) very rare diseases.

Simon Burns: We have no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to review its technology appraisal mechanism.
	NICE is an independent body and is responsible for developing and reviewing its own appraisal processes and methods, in consultation with stakeholders, and last did so in 2008-09.

Departmental Data Protection

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote visual data security in his Department; and what training his Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security.

Simon Burns: The Department regularly promotes the need for visual data security by means of security awareness events and by providing awareness material on the departmental intranet. Regular targeted briefings and security campaigns highlight the need to ensure protectively marked information is not visible to others while on the move.
	All departmental staff and contractors are required to carry out information assurance training annually, based on the National School for Government online learning tool ‘Protecting Information’. This includes a module covering data security away from the office including working on public transport and in other public areas.

Gender Recognition

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that no GP consortium shall refuse treatment to an individual diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will take responsibility for specialised commissioning, including the commissioning of gender identity services. Each gender reassignment case must be considered individually, according to clinical need and local prioritisation.

Health and Social Care Bill

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of correspondence his Department has received on the Health and Social Care Bill from residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

Simon Burns: Departmental records show that, since 6 May 2010, we have received five items of correspondence from residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency about the Health and Social Care Bill. This includes one item of correspondence that consisted of 18 letters from residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford.

Health Services: Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government spent on health services in real terms in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and what proportion of any change in expenditure was allocated to (i) the NHS and (ii) the private health sector.

Simon Burns: Total NHS Expenditure Outturn in 2009-10 was £101.884 billion.
	However in order to compare this figure with the outturn in 2010-11 it must be calculated on the same basis as the 2010-11 outturn. In 2010-11 HM Treasury introduced a new accounting practice, ‘alignment’, which involved the removal of cost of capital and transfer of resource expenditure for new provisions from Departmental Expenditure Limits to Annually Managed Expenditure. On an aligned basis, i.e. calculating 2009-10 on the same basis as 2010-11, NHS Expenditure Outturn in 2009-10 was £99.45 billion.
	Final outturn expenditure for 2010-11 is not yet available. The latest forecast outturn expenditure in 2010-11 (as published in Budget 2011) is £102.985 billion: a real terms increase of 0.6%.
	Expenditure in the private sector in 2009-10 as reported in audited primary care trust summarisation schedules was £4.149 billion.
	It will not be possible to determine the proportion of change in expenditure allocated to the NHS and the private health sector until the final outturn for 2010-11 is known.

Heart Diseases: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of co-location of treatment and follow-on care services for child heart surgery patients.

Simon Burns: The review of children's heart surgery units (“Safe and Sustainable” review) is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have however been following its progress.
	The service standards developed by the Safe and Sustainable Steering Group, against which current services have been assessed and which are proposed as designation standards for future services, include 30 standards (out of a total of 156) relating to co-location of other paediatric services and a further two on services for adolescents. Eight criteria were used to score current centres (for the assessment) and these include one on interdependent services (or co-location). This criterion was ranked four and carried a maximum score of 70 out of 685. This process is set out in the Pre-consultation Business Case pages 50 to 56. The scoring of centres fed into a wider evaluation of the options for future services.
	The criteria against which the options for future services were evaluated included the consideration that:
	‘the negative impact for the provision of paediatric intensive care and other interdependent services is kept to a minimum’.
	This was part of the ‘deliverability’ criterion, which was weighted 22 out of 100. This is set out in the pre-consultation business case on page 65. This can be found at:
	www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/library/30/Safe_and_ Sustainable_Review_of_Childrens_Congenital_Cardiac_ Services_in_England_Pre_Consultation_Business_Case.pdf

Incinerators: Health Hazards

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on any effects on infant mortality and morbidity arising from residence in the vicinity of an incinerator; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department has not commissioned research specifically on any effects on infant mortality and morbidity arising from residence in the vicinity of a municipal waste incinerator. The Health Protection Agency published a report of its review of the latest scientific evidence on the health effects of modern municipal waste incinerators in September 2009. The report concludes that while it is not possible to rule adverse health effects out completely, any potential damage from modern, well-run and regulated incinerators is likely to be so small that it would be undetectable.

IVF: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is taking any steps to encourage primary care trusts to continue funding IVF treatment.

Anne Milton: Primary care trusts are well aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers.
	The national health service deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to primary care trust commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight to those involved in commissioning fertility services the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of IVF are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
	A copy of this communication has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_123405.pdf
	Additionally, he supports Infertility Network UK—a leading patient support organisation—to develop and promote standardised access criteria and to work in partnership with commissioners to encourage good practice in the provision of fertility services.

LIFE

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what process his Department carried out in inviting the organisation Life to participate in its Sexual Health Forum;
	(2)  what account his Department took of the participation in sexual health promotion or prevention programmes of the organisation Life when inviting it to participate in its Sexual Health Forum;
	(3)  what account his Department took of the policies on the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections of the organisation Life when inviting it to participate in its Sexual Health Forum;
	(4)  what account his Department took of the policies on modern methods of contraception of the organisation Life when inviting it to participate in its Sexual Health Forum.

Anne Milton: The Sexual Health Forum has been established to provide advice to the Department on matters relating to sexual health and HIV. In considering the stakeholder groups who will sit on the core Forum, we felt that it was important to ensure that a wide range of views and interests are represented. This is why LIFE have been invited to join. Other organisations who sit on the Forum include Brook (the young people's sexual health charity), the Family Planning Association, Terrence Higgins Trust and Marie Stopes International.

NHS: Procurement

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the anticipated efficiency savings from procurement he expects will come from procurement in hospital trusts and other provider organisations; and what proportion of those savings he expects to be attributable to the procurement of medical and surgical equipment.

Simon Burns: The Department has in place clear plans through the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention workstream to support the national health service in making £1.2 billion in savings on procurement over the next three years. This applies exclusively to NHS providers—NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts.
	These savings are to come in four main areas:
	reducing price variation (all providers to use best available prices): £598 million;
	efficiencies in back office organisation: £65 million;
	improved use and management of stock: £283 million; and
	clinical efficiencies (release of time for more direct clinical work): £142 million.
	In 2009-10 £16.5 billion was spent by NHS providers (NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts) with external suppliers on the procurement of goods and services. This £16.5 billion comprises a number of different expenditure categories such as drugs, non-clinical supplies and services, transport and establishment; all of which may include elements of medical supplies and equipment. But the category ‘clinical supplies and services’ will cover most of the purely medical and surgical equipment and consumables (such as single use drapes and gowns, bandages etc.). Expenditure in this particular category for 2009-10 was £4.5 billion.
	A significant proportion of the savings from reducing price variations is expected to be achieved from the 'clinical supplies and services' category. This category is also expected to contribute savings from improved use and management of stock and resulting clinical efficiencies.

NHS: Reorganisation

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the name is of each person who participated in the listening events as part of the NHS Future Forum.

Simon Burns: All members of the NHS Future Forum listened to individuals and organisations as part of this process. The full list of NHS Future Forum members is:
	Lord Victor Adebowale, Chief Executive, Turning Point
	Dr Charles Alessi, Senior GP Partner, The Churchill Practice
	Geoff Alltimes, Chief Executive, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
	Dr Frank Atherton, President, Association of Directors of Public Health
	Vicky Bailey, Chief Operating Officer, Principia, Partners in Health, Nottingham
	Sally Brearley, Patient representative
	Sheila Bremner, Chief Executive, Mid Essex Primary Care Trust
	Dr Simon Brown, Huntington GP Consortia pathfinder lead
	Sir Stephen Bubb, Chief Executive, Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations
	Professor Hilary Chapman, Chief Nurse, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
	Ratna Dutt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
	Moira Gibb, Chief Executive, London Borough of Camden
	Mark Goldring, Chief Executive, Mencap
	Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, Mind
	Mr Derek Fawcett, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
	Professor David Fish, Managing Director, UCL Partners
	Peter Hay, Strategic Director, Adults and Communities, Birmingham City Council; and Vice President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
	Thomas Hughes-Hallett, Chief Executive, Marie-Curie Cancer Care
	Prof. David Kerr, Professor of Cancer Medicine, Oxford University
	Joanna Killian, Chief Executive, Essex County Council
	Clare Leon-Villapalos, Intensive Care Nurse, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
	Dr Paul Lelliott, Consultant Psychiatrist, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
	Chris Long, Chief Executive, Hull PCT
	Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, Chief Executive, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
	Bill McCarthy, Chief Executive, Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority
	Claire Marshall, Head of Professions, Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
	Anthony McKeever, Chief Executive, Bexley Care Trust
	Dr Kathy McLean, Medical Director, NHS East Midlands
	Julie Moore, Chief Executive, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
	Dr Peter Nightingale, President, Royal College of Anaesthetists
	Mr Dermot O'Riordan, Medical Director and Consultant Surgeon, West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust
	Dr Niti Pall, Practising GP, Smethwick; and Chair and Clinical Lead, West Midlands Third Wave pathfinder consortia
	Tom Riordan, Chief Executive, Leeds City Council
	Cllr. David Rogers, Chair, Local Government Association Community Health and Wellbeing Board
	Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust
	Mr Matthew Shaw, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Co-founder, Remedy UK
	Ash Soni, Pharmacist, Lambeth; and Chair, Lambeth Professional Executive Committee
	Professor Jimmy Steele, Head of School and Professor of Oral Health Services Research, Newcastle University
	Professor Terence Stephenson, President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
	Jeremy Taylor, Chief Executive, National Voices
	Professor Sir John Tooke, Vice-Provost, University College London
	Dr Robert Varnam, Practising GP, Manchester
	Gill Walton, Director of Midwifery, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Mr Francis Wells, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Public Health

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill to require commissioning bodies to include public health specialists.

Simon Burns: In line with the recommendations of the NHS Future Forum, the Government intend to bring forward amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill to provide a more direct duty on clinical commissioning groups and on the NHS Commissioning Board to obtain advice from a wide range of health professionals, including those with expertise in the protection and improvement of public health.
	As announced in the Government's response to the NHS Future Forum, it is also intended that the NHS Commissioning Board will in future host clinical senates that bring together a range of health and care professionals, including public health specialists, to give expert advice and support the better integration of services for patients. The Department also intends to bring forward more specific proposals in response to the recent public health consultation on how to ensure that public health professionals, in partnership with NHS commissioners, play a key role in providing leadership to drive improvements in quality and patient outcomes and to reduce health inequalities.
	Under our proposed amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill, all clinical commissioning groups will have a governing body with decision-making powers. We do not intend to prescribe in detail the professional membership of governing bodies, but they will have to include at least one registered nurse and one doctor who is a secondary care specialist. The main function of the governing body will be to ensure that commissioning groups are run in a way that ensures effective stewardship of public resources and effective decision-making. This will include ensuring that the group obtains advice from the appropriate range of health professionals.

Public Health: Broadcasting

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government spent on television public health campaigns in relation to drug misuse in each of the last five financial years.

Anne Milton: FRANK is the national drugs internet information and advice service funded by the Department of Health, the Home Office and the Department for Education.
	The contribution from the Department of Health for television advertising in each of the last five financial years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2009-10 775,703 
			 2008-09 608,606 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2006-07 789,933 
		
	
	These figures reflect media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding productions costs, Central Office for Information commission and VAT).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Buildings

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the budget for (a) rent and (b) maintenance was of his Department's offices in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: In the UK, the Department for International Development has only one leasehold property, that being our London Headquarters at 1 Palace Street, SW1. The budget for rent to be paid by DFID for 2011-12 is £4.6 million. The total budget for planned preventative maintenance for our two UK offices for 2011-12 is £280,000.
	In 2010-11 DFID spend a total of £12.7 million on rental and maintenance costs for overseas offices and accommodation, including £3.2 million on office rental and £430,000 on maintenance for both offices and accommodation. We are unable to disaggregate this maintenance figure further.

Departmental Data Protection

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to promote visual data security in his Department; and what training his Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security.

Stephen O'Brien: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for the Department for International Development (DFID) to describe our visual data security measures. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.

Departmental Manpower

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent staff his Department employs; and what the cost of running his Department was in the last year for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: During the year ended 31 March 2010 the Department for International Development (DFID) employed an average of 2,322 full-time equivalent staff across its UK and overseas locations. Total staff costs for the year ended 31 March 2010 were £112 million, within total expenditure for the Department of £7 billion.

Location

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries his Department has an office.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development has an office (or offices) in the following countries:
	Afghanistan
	Bangladesh
	Barbados
	Brazil
	Burma
	Burundi
	China
	Democratic Republic of Congo
	Ethiopia
	Ghana
	Guyana
	India
	Indonesia
	Iraq
	Jamaica
	Kenya
	Kosovo
	Kyrgyzstan
	Malawi
	Montserrat
	Mozambique
	Nepal
	Nigeria
	Occupied Palestine Territory
	Pakistan
	Rwanda
	Sierra Leone
	South Africa
	Sudan
	Tajikistan
	Tanzania
	Uganda
	Vietnam
	Yemen
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated for the rebuilding of the Nahr el Bared refugee camp in Northern Lebanon.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK supports Palestinian refugees in Lebanon through its five year arrangement with UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide unearmarked funding to its general budget. This allows UNRWA to plan for the long-term and improve service delivery to refugees across the region. Approximately 12% of UNRWA's general budget spending is in Lebanon.
	In 2010-11 the UK gave £27 million to UNRWA's general budget and an additional £1.5 million to help support vulnerable families displaced from Nahr el Bared camp. The UK has not allocated any funding in 2011-12 for reconstruction of the Nahr el Bared camp.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure the effective delivery of aid to south central Somalia.

Stephen O'Brien: Approximately 75% of the Department for International Development's (DFID) humanitarian support in Somalia is focused in South Central Somalia where needs are greatest, but where humanitarian access is most challenging. DFID supports United Nations, Red Cross and international non-governmental organisation partners who have experience of working in the area and who have robust programme and financial management and monitoring systems in place. DFID also actively supports the United Nations humanitarian co-ordination for field-level capacity to effectively manage, monitor and report on the overall international humanitarian response.
	We remain extremely concerned that despite these efforts, access constraints mean some needs in South Central Somalia are going unmet this year.

Taxis

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on taxi fares for staff in (a) the UK and (b) the rest of the world in the latest year for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) spent £192,784 on taxi fares in financial year 2010-11, a further breakdown of spend between the UK and the rest of the world cannot be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Elections

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the decision by the Bosnian High Representative to suspend certain decisions taken by the Central Electoral Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 March 2011.

David Lidington: On 28 March 2011, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Valentin Inzko, used his executive powers to issue a decision temporarily suspending two decisions of the Central Election Commission relating to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) House of Peoples and to the election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the FBiH. This decision was taken following consultations with the Peace Implementation Council of which the United Kingdom is a member. The High Representative made clear that the decision was needed to enable the vital functions of government to continue without legal ambiguity pending an anticipated deliberation of the Federation Constitutional Court (although the relevant requests for legal review have since been withdrawn by the politicians concerned). The Government fully support the High Representative, including in this application of his executive powers.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department has made in encouraging small businesses to bid for Government contracts.

David Lidington: As part of the Government's small medium enterprise (SME) programme the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) published on its website an SME action plan that details the steps the FCO is taking to increase procurement opportunities for SMEs during 2011-12. The plan is published at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/word/4535138/sme-action-plan-11
	The FCO will be targeting some large procurement framework projects operating outside the UK for specific UK SME involvement where it is relevant. We will also review our UK and global procurement processes to ensure we remove any barriers to SMEs wishing to do business with us, while recognising there are differing requirements in terms of contract performance and operational risk around the world.

Entry Clearances

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made an assessment of the Home Office consultation, Employment Related Settlement, Tier 5 and Overseas Domestic Workers; and what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to that consultation.

Alistair Burt: The consultation on Employment Related Settlement, Tier 5 and Overseas Domestic Workers was published on 9 June and represents an agreed Government approach to reviewing these migration routes. Prior to its publication, the Home Affairs Committee and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), were consulted on the document, and before this, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne) discussed elements of the draft consultation at the regular meetings with the Minister for Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green). Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials were involved at an early stage in the development of the consultation proposals.

Gilad Shalit

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department, (c) officials in his Department and (d) British embassy staff in Israel have had with the family of Gilad Shalit since February 2011; whether any meetings are scheduled during the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Our ambassador in Tel Aviv will meet with Gilad Shalit's family in the run up to fifth anniversary of his kidnapping. We reiterate our demand the he be released immediately and unconditionally. It is unacceptable that he has been held for five years without any Red Cross access.
	We are always open to requests for meetings from Gilad Shalit's parents and their representatives and offer assistance wherever we can.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Alistair Burt: Officials from our high commission in New Delhi made one of their regular visits to Indian-administered Kashmir last month. Indian- administered Kashmir is calmer compared to last summer when over 100 civilians died during violent protests. The improvement is in part due to actions taken by the security forces and the Indian Government since last year. Local elections have also enabled people to address grievances through the ballot box. The Indian Government have increased engagement with those in Srinagar through the appointment of three interlocutors to make recommendations for a political solution.
	The governments of India and Pakistan are currently holding a series of talks addressing issues between them. Both have stated publicly that they expect Kashmir to be included on the agenda on a future round of discussions.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings his Department has had with other nuclear armed signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to discuss the obligations of article VI of the treaty in the last 20 years.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in close collaboration with our Ministry of Defence colleagues, has discussed the Non-Proliferation Treaty's (NPT's) article VT disarmament obligations with the four other nuclear weapon states recognised by the treaty on innumerable occasions over the last 20 years. We have discussed our obligations at NPT Review Conferences and Preparatory Committees, the Conference on Disarmament, the UN's Disarmament Commission and First Committee, in bilateral ministerial and senior official meetings, and via videoconference. The FCO hosted a P5 Conference on nuclear disarmament in September 2009—bringing together for the first time policy makers, military staff and nuclear scientists from all five nuclear weapon states. We look forward to the next P5 Conference in Paris at the end of this month.

Passports: Lost Property

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people requested assistance relating to stolen or lost passports at UK embassies in (a) Europe and (b) the US in each of the last two years.

Alistair Burt: The following figures are taken from Compass, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular database:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009-10  
			 Europe 14,459 
			 US 3,272 
			   
			 2010-11  
			 Europe 13,609 
			 US 3,120

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the situation of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The Sri Lankan Government has made much progress in enabling the resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs), but challenges remain.
	As of 13 May, the UN report that 17,580 remain in IDP camps. Most of these are from Mullaitivu, which is yet to be demined.
	The Department for International Development is providing £3 million for demining in Sri Lanka, which will enable even more IDPs to return to their homes. On 13 June, our deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka visited recently resettled families in Jaffna, in an area benefitting from UK demining assistance.
	When I spoke with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 31 March I expressed our desire for further improved humanitarian access to the north and the need to address ongoing challenges of resettlement. These include shelter, livelihoods and infrastructure.

UN Resolutions: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking (a) to promote the protection of women in areas of conflict and (b) to monitor the effective implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1820.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are committed to improving the protection of women in conflict. They have made national, bilateral and multilateral commitments to promote the protection of women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence and improve intervention strategies in the prevention of such violence. The Government are taking a range of actions to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1820 (2008).
	Last year, the UK led efforts in the Security Council for the adoption of UNSCR 1960 (2010) which provides an accountability system for the implementation of UNSCR 1820, including through the establishment of monitoring, analysis, and reporting arrangements specific to conflict-related sexual violence.
	More detail on the Government's work in this area can be found in the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security which is available in the House Library.

UN Resolutions: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the measures in UN Security Council Resolution 1888, on protecting women and girls from sexual violence in conflict.

Henry Bellingham: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1888 (2009) strengthened the implementation of UNSCR 1820 by assigning leadership and establishing effective support mechanisms for this agenda.
	It led to the appointment of Margot Wallstrom as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, who is co-ordinating UN efforts to address conflict-related sexual violence, and to facilitate the rapid deployment of teams of experts and advisors to situations of concern.
	We encourage Ms Wallstrom to work with the head of the UN agency UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, in driving forward the international community's efforts in this area.

UN Resolutions: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in promoting the role of women in post-conflict negotiations and reconstruction.

Henry Bellingham: The UK played an active part in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000), which was the first UNSCR to link women to the peace and security agenda and forms the basis of our National Action Plan. The resolution recognises that women are disproportionately affected by conflict and calls for their active participation at all levels of decision-making in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace processes, post-conflict peace-building and governance.
	Some progress has been made. However, according to the UN, since 1992 only 2.5% of signatories, 3.2% of mediators, 5.5% of witnesses and 7.6% of negotiators in peace processes have been women. All states need to do more.
	The Government are committed to ensure that the promotion of women's participation in conflict resolution is an integral part of our overseas conflict policy because the principles of equality and justice underpin our values and because their effective participation and protection help secure more sustainable peace which is vital to our security interests.
	More detail on the Government's work in this area can be found in the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security which is available in the House Library.

UN Resolutions: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support the participation of women in public life, conflict resolution and peace initiatives in Afghanistan under (a) its action plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and (b) UN Security Council Resolution 1889; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1889 (2009) calls for the UN Secretary-General to submit to the Security Council a set of indicators for use at the global level to track implementation of UNSCR 1325. It also calls for the strengthening of national and international responses to the needs of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict settings.
	The UN agency UN Women is currently formulating a set of indicators for adoption by the UN Security Council. UN Women's executive director, Michelle Bachelet, is committed to driving forward international efforts on this agenda and we are working to ensure that Women, Peace and Security will form a key part of the new agency's strategic work plan.
	The Government have been at the forefront of the creation of UN Women and, as the Security Council lead on UNSCR 1325, we will continue to provide political support to the agency, including work on the development of global indicators. This remains a commitment in our National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security which is available in the House Library.

UN Resolutions: Females

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the measures in UN Security Council Resolution 1889.

Henry Bellingham: Afghan women are increasingly playing a role in shaping the country's future. Some progress has already been made, although much more needs to be done.
	The Government continue to provide political and financial support to programmes in Afghanistan which promote women's participation in public life, including support to female parliamentarians and women's civil society groups.
	Our National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security includes specific commitments on:
	Securing the needs and priorities of women in Afghan Security Policy and peace-building efforts;
	Increasing the number, influence, and capacity of female Afghans in public life;
	Strengthening the capacity and visibility of Afghan women's civil society organisations; and
	Increasing female participation in security and justice structures.
	More detail on the Government's work in this area can be found in the UK National Action Plan, which is available in the House Library.

USA: Cotton

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on subsidies for US cotton farmers; and whether he raised this issue during the recent visit to the UK of the US President.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), did not discuss subsidies for US cotton farmers in his most recent meeting with his US counterpart during the US state visit. However, the Prime Minister discussed with President Obama the importance of reaching an outcome on the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) this year and ways of achieving this. The issue of cotton subsidies remains high on the Government's agenda, and we believe that a successful conclusion of DDA will be the best route for reform of cotton subsidies.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from UK energy intensive industries since his decision to implement a carbon floor price mechanism.

Gregory Barker: Following the Chancellor's Budget Announcement, DECC Ministers and officials have received correspondence from, and held meetings with, several representatives of UK energy-intensive industry. This includes industry associations and representatives from the aluminium, chemicals, lime, non-woven textiles, paper and steel sectors.
	The Government are looking at how to keep British industry competitive in the transition to a low carbon economy as part of the joint BIS/DECC energy intensive industry project. As set out in the recent Fourth Carbon Budget Statement, Government will announce by the end of the year a package of measures for the EII sector whose international competitiveness is most affected by UK energy and climate change policies.

Electricity

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to publish all contracts issued under the contract-for-difference model in his proposals for energy market reform.

Charles Hendry: We will publish a White Paper on electricity market reform this summer. My officials are considering details of contracting arrangements for low carbon generation alongside other implementation issues. Decisions on detailed policy will need to balance transparency with the appropriate handling of commercially sensitive information.

Electricity: Meters

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will investigate the service charges levied by energy companies for domestic pre-payment meter users.

Charles Hendry: Setting of tariffs, including the cost of providing a supply, is a commercial matter for the company itself.
	The manufacturing cost of a pre-payment meter and the provision of the administrative infrastructure required to support it are customarily higher than other types of meters. However, during its recent review into the effectiveness of the retail market, Ofgem found that pre-payment meter customers now pay, on average, £20 less than standard credit customers for their gas and electricity.

Energy Saving Trust: Finance

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 579W, on the Energy Saving Trust, if he will ensure that information made available to the public by the Energy Saving Trust will continue to be made available once the trust ceases to receive public funding.

Gregory Barker: The outcome of the DECC delivery review, announced in May this year, was that the Energy Saving Trust will cease to receive core grant funding from DECC at the end of this financial year. EST is an independent body and its future direction and operations are a matter for its board and management.
	The Government are currently developing the Green Deal, an ambitious market driven energy efficiency retrofit scheme which will be launched in 2012. The Green Deal will have a contact centre to provide energy saving advice to the general public from next year.

Energy: Conservation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for UK energy efficiency companies of the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ruling of 15 March 2011 on market-based demand response compensation for negawatts.

Charles Hendry: The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ruling puts in place a innovative measure to ensure demand response receives a price comparable to generation. The Government are considering how demand response can be incentivised through the capacity mechanism as part of the Electricity Market Reform programme. In addition, the Electricity Market Reform White Paper will discuss barriers to demand response and will set out a high-level strategy on networks and system flexibility which will include our work programme on demand response going forward.

Energy: Housing

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what the terms of reference are of his Department's joint working group with the Ministry of Defence on improving the energy efficiency of service family accommodation;
	(2)  who the members are of his Department's joint working group with the Ministry of Defence on improving the energy efficiency of service family accommodation;
	(3)  what timetable he has set for the completion of the work of his Department's joint working group with the Ministry of Defence on improving the energy efficiency of service family accommodation.

Gregory Barker: The joint working group is currently being established. The membership will include officials from all relevant Government Departments, including the Ministry of Defence's defence infrastructure organisation. The group's terms of reference and work plan will need to be agreed at the first meeting, which will take place in July and we will send these to my hon. Friend.
	I would expect the recommendations of the group to be set out in the consultation document on the Green Deal to be published this autumn.

Energy: Prices

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  when he last met representatives of Scottish Power to discuss gas and electricity prices;
	(2)  what discussions he plans to have with Scottish Power on proposed price rises for gas and electricity.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with energy suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues.
	Consumers deserve the best possible deal, which means rough and tough competition in the marketplace. We are cutting red tape for smaller suppliers to boost competition in retail markets, while Ofgem is tackling other barriers to effective competition (such as tariff complexity and low wholesale market liquidity) in its retail market review. While greater competition should put pressure on prices consumers should also regularly evaluate the best deal on the market.
	Government are also taking a range of actions to increase people's control over their energy bills through energy efficiency, including the Green Deal, and better information.

EU Law

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what European directives in force on 1 April 2010 his Department is responsible; and what European directives for which his Department is responsible have come into force since 1 April 2010.

Gregory Barker: The stock of EU legislation in force is set out in the Eur-Lex database:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm
	It would be of disproportionate cost to review the entire stock to establish which pieces of legislation were currently the responsibility of DECC or its predecessor Departments.
	The Department has not identified any Council directives first entering into force after 1 April 2010 for which DECC has primary responsibility. The entry into force date for a directive is usually specified in the directive as being a certain number of days following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Green Deal Scheme: Apprentices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) the Department for Education on a Green Deal apprenticeship scheme.

Gregory Barker: I can confirm that the Department continues to have regular discussions with both Departments. We are keen to ensure that we can make best use of the funding the coalition has made available for apprenticeships to help re-skill existing and future workers to so they can benefit from the huge opportunities the Green Deal will bring.
	I can also confirm that my officials are in regular discussion with the Sector Skills Councils to identify the skills gaps and ensure that training provision will be available where there is the demand from industry.

Natural Gas: Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the carbon footprint of shale gas and related extraction processes.

Charles Hendry: Emissions from shale gas extraction processes will be determined by the design and conditions of a particular development and no development has been proposed for the UK.
	However, provided that good practice is adhered to, particularly in the control of fugitive emissions of methane, shale gas should have a carbon footprint of the same order as natural gas from conventional onshore fields, and significantly lower than that of other hydrocarbon sources including coal.
	I note that a recent report by the International Energy Authority entitled “Are We Entering A Golden Age For Gas” assessed well-to-burner emissions from unconventional gas, for the particular circumstances they considered and in the ‘non venting’ case, as only slightly higher than from conventional gas, with the combustion of gas being the dominant source of emissions.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average unit cost is of disposal of spent fuel from existing nuclear power stations per tonne of uranium; and what estimate has been made of the equivalent figure for the proposed future generation of nuclear power stations.

Charles Hendry: There is not yet an operational geological disposal facility (GDF) in the UK. Therefore no spent fuel from existing power stations has yet been disposed of and an actual cost figure for the disposal of spent fuel from existing nuclear power stations is not available.
	For the purposes of estimating the likely disposal cost of spent fuel from new nuclear power stations, the NDA has provided DECC with estimates of the costs of a GDF, covering both the fixed construction costs of the facility and the variable costs of disposing of a given quantity of waste.
	These estimates were published by DECC in the December 2010 “Consultation on an updated Waste Transfer Pricing Methodology for higher activity wastes from new nuclear power stations”, available on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/nuclear/new/waste_costs/waste_costs.aspx
	Based on NDA's data DECC derived a current best estimate of the cost of disposing of spent fuel from a new nuclear power station of £312,000/tU.

Radioactivity

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure radiation level monitoring results such as gamma spectrometry tests from the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network and the Health Protection Agency are available publicly without recourse to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Charles Hendry: Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET) data are currently published on the European Radiological Data Exchange Platform website
	http://eurdep.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
	Following the Fukushima incident, the HPA, Environment Agency (EA), Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have also jointly been providing updates of their monitoring findings via the HPA website
	www.hpa.org.uk

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) ground source heat pumps and (b) air source heat pumps will be eligible for the renewable heat incentive premium payment.

Gregory Barker: Both these technologies will be included in the renewable heat premium payment scheme. Details on how the scheme will work will be announced shortly.

Solar Power: Housing

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on regulations for the installation of solar photovoltaics in domestic properties.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), and the Department has not held recent discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government about the installation of solar photovoltaics in domestic properties.

Solar Power: Housing

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with solar photovoltaic installers on regulations for the installation of solar photovoltaics in domestic properties.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), has not held any discussions with solar PV installers about regulations for the installation of solar PV in domestic properties.
	MCS certification is required by all installer companies installing domestic solar PV eligible for Feed-in Tariffs.
	Solar PV is eligible for permitted development.

Thorp

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to the public purse was of the closure and clean-up of the Thorp reprocessing plant following the leak of radioactive material in 2004-05.

Charles Hendry: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			 Continued fixed cost for the incident related shutdown net of savings 68,780 
			 Cost of clean-up 9,592 
			   
			 Insurance recovery (41,500) 
			   
			 Net 36,872

Wind Power

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change by what date he expects wind powered generation to have reached commercial viability.

Charles Hendry: It is not possible to put a date on commercial viability which depends on a number of factors, including the cost of fossil fuel, as well as the pace of deployment and innovation in offshore wind.

Wind Power: Noise

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the implications for (a) investment in and (b) the number of wind turbine sites of setting the noise limit threshold for wind turbines below 45 decibels.

Charles Hendry: The indicative maximum noise level of a wind farm at 350 metres (1,150 feet) is usually roughly comparable to the sound of leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. The method of assessing the noise impact of a wind farm locally is described in ‘The assessment and rating of noise from wind farms’, ETSU-R-97, by the Working Group on Noise from Wind Turbines for the Department of Trade and Industry. We have no plans to change the noise limits that ETSU-R-97 recommends, and will shortly publish a report which investigates matters arising in the consideration of noise impacts in the determination of wind farm planning applications in England.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to reduce the level of subsidy to wind-powered generation as it approaches commercial viability;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to reduce the level of subsidy for wind power in each successive year.

Charles Hendry: Legislation provides that a review of renewables obligation (RO) support levels for all technologies may be commenced in October 2010 and then at four-yearly intervals.
	These reviews ensure that as market conditions and innovation within sectors change and evolve, developers continue to receive the appropriate level of support necessary to maintaining investment in the renewables industry, while providing value for money to the consumer.
	Such a review is currently under way. We will consult on the new bands this summer, with the Government response published in late autumn. Any changes in support levels will be come into effect on 1 April 2013 (1 April 2014 for offshore wind).

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Worcestershire

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been started in (a) Worcestershire and (b) Worcester since May 2010.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship programme starts in Worcestershire local education authority and Worcester parliamentary constituency between 1 May 2010 and 31 January, the latest date for which we have data.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in Worcester local education authority and Worcester constituency, 1 May 2010 and 31 January 
			  2009/10 2010/11 Total 
			  May 2010 to July 2010 August 2010 to October 2010 November 2010 to January 2011 May 2010 to January 2011 
			 Worcestershire local education authority 580 1,140 850 2,560 
			 Worcester constituency 110 180 120 400 
			 Notes: 1. All Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 March:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current
	Apprenticeships data will be updated in a Statistical First Release published on 23 June, also available at this website.

Business: Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2011, Official Report, column 391W, on business: loans, what effects he expects the (a) stretch and (b) capacity lending targets to have on small and medium-sized businesses; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  at what level his Department has set stretch lending targets as part of the Project Merlin agreement; and how those levels were determined.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 June 2011
	The Merlin target that was agreed with banks is £190 billion of gross new lending to UK corporates, including lending of £76 billion to small and medium-sized enterprises. The banks will be judged against these published and agreed numbers. Figures published in May by the Bank of England show that the UK's five largest banks lent £16.8 billion to UK small and medium enterprises in the first quarter of this year.

Business: Loans

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what lending targets the Government has agreed with the banking industry as part of the Project Merlin agreement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2011, Official Report, columns 391-2W on business: loans, what assessment his Department has made of the effects on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises of banks which are party to the Project Merlin agreement meeting the stretch targets, but failing to meet the capacity targets;
	(3)  whether the banks which are party to the Project Merlin agreement will be judged against the (a) stretch or (b) capacity targets.

Mark Prisk: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	The Merlin target that was agreed with banks is £190 billion of gross new lending to UK corporates, including lending of £76 billion to small and medium-sized enterprises. The banks will be judged against these published and agreed numbers. Figures published in May by the Bank of England show that the UK's five largest banks lent £16.8 billion to UK small and medium enterprises in the first quarter of this year.

Business: Loans

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2011, Official Report, columns 391-2W on business: loans, what the definition is of the (a) stretch and (b) capacity target agreed as part of the Project Merlin agreement.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 17 June 2011
	The ‘stretch’ targets were the Merlin banks' initial assessment of what extra they could lend in 2011 compared with 2010.
	The Government were not satisfied that these were sufficiently ambitious and pushed them to set a more demanding target—which was what was agreed and published in the Merlin agreement, which stated:
	“That will put in place for 2011 new committed lending capacity of £76bn for UK small and medium sized businesses, which is materially higher than both the actual gross new lending delivered by the five banks in 2010 of £66bn and the banks' revised expectations for 2011.”

Employment

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of businesses on increasing levels of employment among the middle-aged; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: We have had no direct discussions with business representatives on this question. However, as part of our Growth Review, the Government are taking a number of steps to ensure that the labour market operates efficiently and fairly, and that it promotes economic growth and employment opportunities for people of all ages.
	Through the Department for Work and Pension's Age Positive initiative we are working with key business leaders to drive forward sustained improvements in the employment, training and retention of older workers. As the legislated Default Retirement Age is phased out in 2011, we are providing guidance to help employers manage their workforces without the use of compulsory retirement ages. We are also helping to develop and embed effective practices including flexible working and flexible retirement opportunities.

Export Credit Guarantees

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on export credit agreements.

Edward Davey: Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) officials attend regular meetings on export credit policy and practice with European Export Credit Agencies usually under the aegis of the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Export Credit Guarantees

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the reporting requirements for export credit agreements.

Edward Davey: Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) publically reports on its activities and financial performance in its annual report and accounts. The latest copy for the financial year 2009-10 is held in the Libraries of the House. The annual report and accounts for 2010-11 will be published before the summer parliamentary recess. Pursuant to its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act, ECGD also operates a publication scheme which can be found at its website at:
	www.ecgd.gov.uk

Higher Education: Admissions

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to use mobile application technology to engage with prospective university students.

David Willetts: holding answer 21 June 2011
	The Directgov campaign website for The Department's communications campaign about reforms to student finance
	www.direct.gov.uk/yourfuture
	has been specifically optimised to be accessible to mobile phone users.
	The Student Loans Company is currently considering the development of a mobile application as part of its future communications activity.

Higher Education: Fees and Charges

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department plans to provide to universities on the tuition fees of students who initially fail to attain the necessary grade for admission to their first choice university in 2011 but who subsequently attain the required grades following a re-mark and are accordingly offered a deferred place for 2012 entry.

David Willetts: holding answer 17 June 2011
	It is a matter for individual higher education institutions (HEIs) to decide whether they wish to charge a student the maximum amount allowed for tuition in such circumstances. We would expect an HEI to make clear to the student the level of tuition charge that would apply if they enter in 2012/13 so that the student can take this into account in deciding whether to accept a deferred place.
	Whatever they are charged, eligible students will be able to access a loan to fully meet the cost of tuition, up to the maximum allowed.
	If an eligible student decides to defer entry to 2012/13 they will be able access the new, more generous package of student support. Students from the lowest income households will be able to get more non-repayable grant for living costs than under the current system and almost all full-time students will get more overall support for living costs than they do now.

Higher Education: Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many pupils from (a) state schools and (b) independent schools applied to study (i) science, (ii) technology, (iii) engineering and (iv) mathematics subjects at universities in each of the last five years for which data are available.

David Willetts: Information on applicants to higher education to science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree courses by school type is included in the following table and is provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	
		
			 Applicants domiciled in England to science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects by previous school type 
			 Science 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 State schools 30,904 32,160 33,692 35,188 37,795 
			 Independent schools 6,943 7,212 7,394 8,040 8,353 
			 HE, FE and other 32,213 36,687 36,822 39,090 46,159 
			 Total 70,060 76,059 77,908 82,318 92,307 
		
	
	
		
			 Technology 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 State schools 8,422 8,244 8,513 9,299 8,659 
		
	
	
		
			 Independent schools 1,019 1,027 1,027 1,117 974 
			 HE, FE and other 15,563 17,830 17,941 19,500 21,477 
			 Total 25,004 27,101 27,481 29,916 31,110 
		
	
	
		
			 Engineering 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 State schools 7,537 7,393 7,654 8,508 8,221 
			 Independent schools 1,933 1,898 2,060 2,107 2,222 
			 HE, FE and other 8,830 10,462 10,499 11,540 12,862 
			 Total 18,300 19,753 20,213 22,155 23,305 
		
	
	
		
			 Mathematics 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 State schools 3,823 4,353 4,587 5,229 5,296 
			 Independent schools 831 873 987 996 953 
			 HE, FE and other 2,403 2,632 2,827 3,100 3,451 
			 Total 7,057 7,858 8,401 9,325 9,700 
			 Notes: 1. ‘State schools’ includes comprehensive, grammar and other state schools up to the age of 18-years-old. 2. ‘Independent schools’ includes independent schools up to the age of 18-years-old. 3. ‘HE,FE and other’ includes applicants from further education (including sixth form colleges), higher education institutions and other centres (including those that don't fit in to the major groupings including those applied directly to UCAS, adult college and centres, prisons, language schools). 4. Subjects have been identified using the following subject groups and lines: Science: B1—Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, B2—Pharmacology Toxicology and Pharmacy, B8—Medical Technology, Group C; Biological Sciences, D7—Agricultural Sciences, Group F Physical Sciences; Technology: G4—Computer Science, G5—Information Systems, G6—Software Engineering, G7—Artificial Intelligence, Group J Technologies; Engineering: Group H Engineering; Mathematics: G1—Mathematics, G2—Operational Research, G3—Statistics. 5. Applicants included in these figures have applied for at least one course from these subjects. 6. Applicants may appear in one more than one subject group if their application includes choices to more than one of these subject groups. 7. Applicants can make up to five separate choices on their application form.

Higher Education: Sunderland

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 570W, on higher education: Sunderland, what proportion of (a) applicants and (b) accepted applicants resident in Sunderland Central constituency were from disadvantaged backgrounds in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

David Willetts: The information is in the following tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	Applicants who were not accepted for entry will include individuals who did not receive any offer; individuals who received an offer (conditional or unconditional) but decided not to go to university; individuals who received a conditional offer and failed to meet the specific conditions (e.g. they did not achieve certain grades); and individuals who decided to withdraw from the UCAS system.
	
		
			 Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions from Sunderland Central constituency by area background 2009/10 
			 Area background Applicants % of total Accepted applicants % of total 
			 Disadvantaged(1) 409 51 306 51 
			 Other 391 49 299 49 
			 Grand total 800 100 605 100 
			 Source: UCAS 
		
	
	
		
			 Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions from Sunderland Central constituency by area background 2010/11 
			 Area background Applicants % of total Accepted applicants % of total 
			 Disadvantaged(1) 497 53 358 53 
			 Other 448 47 319 47 
			 Grand total 945 100 677 100 
			 (1) For the purposes of their funding allocations, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) treat entrants from the most disadvantaged 40% of neighbourhoods as ‘disadvantaged’: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/widen/fund/ HEFCE uses two different groupings of areas to define disadvantage which are based on the historic levels of participation or qualification in higher education by the local population: one based on the participation rates of young (19 and under) people in higher education (HE) (which is used by HEFCE when looking at young full-time entrants); and one based on the proportion of adults in the area who hold HE qualifications (which is used by HEFCE when looking at part-time and mature full-time entrants). Because this table includes applicants and accepted applicants of all ages disadvantage is defined by the HE qualified adults measure. Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Sunderland

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2011, Official Report, column 570W, on higher education: Sunderland, what proportion of (a) applicants and (b) accepted applicants resident in Sunderland Central constituency were aged over 30 in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

David Willetts: The information is in the following tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	Applicants who were not accepted for entry will include individuals who did not receive any offer; individuals who received an offer (conditional or unconditional) but decided not to go to university; individuals who received a conditional offer and failed to meet the specific conditions (e.g. they did not achieve certain grades); and individuals who decided to withdraw from the UCAS system.
	
		
			 Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions from Sunderland Central constituency by age 2009/10 
			 Age range Applicants % of total Accepted applicants % of total 
			 29 and under 721 90 559 92 
			 30 and over 79 10 46 8 
			 Grand total 800 100 605 100 
			 Source: UCAS 
		
	
	
		
			 Applicants and accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions from Sunderland Central constituency by age 2010/11 
			 Age range Applicants % of total Accepted applicants % of total 
			 29 and under 861 91 628 93 
			 30 and over 84 9 49 7 
			 Grand total 945 100 677 100 
			 Source: UCAS

Local Enterprise Partnerships

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions he has met the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to discuss the establishment of a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and on what date such meetings took place.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 8 June 2011
	There have been discussions between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government about the need for a network but there have been no meetings between the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), on this specific issue.

Origin Marking: Israel

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what advice his Department has issued to trading standards officers on origin labelling for consumer goods produced in Israeli settlements.

Edward Davey: There is no general requirement in the United Kingdom or the European Union law for goods to bear marks indicating their origin, nor is there anything to prevent voluntary origin marking. However, where such marks are applied to goods, the consumer protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 requires that these marks are not false or misleading. The regulations also prohibit traders from omitting material information which the average consumer needs, according to the context, to make an informed choice.
	This Department and the Office of Fair Trading have issued general guidance on how we expect the regulations to operate in practice. This would apply to the accuracy of voluntary origin labelling of consumer goods produced in Israeli settlements.

Public Holidays: St George's Day

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider the merits of establishing St George's Day as a bank holiday.

Edward Davey: The Government regularly receives requests to consider making changes to the pattern of bank holidays.
	Although the current pattern of holidays is well established, in order to come to a full understanding as to whether the current arrangements are best for the country, the Department for Culture Media and Sport announced in the recent Tourism Strategy that they would carry out a pre-consultation on the issue.
	The pre-consultation ended on 9 June and examined a range of options, including the possible movement of the May Day bank holiday to St George's day in England and St David's Day in Wales. Interested parties were encouraged to submit their representations on this matter to ensure all relevant opinions were available during this process. Responses are being assimilated and results are expected later this summer.

Small Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of small businesses were engaged in innovation in each year since 2005.

David Willetts: These data are not available on an annual basis—data comes from the UK Innovation Survey, carried out every two years and covering a three year period. The latest survey covered the period 2006-08. Over this period, 85,971 small firms reported being innovation active, representing 57.3% of the population of small firms.
	An innovation active firm is defined as a business that was a product or process innovator, had ongoing or abandoned innovation projects, or, had invested in activities related to innovation.
	A small firm is defined as one with 10 to 49 employees.
	The UK Innovation Survey, part of the wider Community Innovation Survey, is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of this Department. It seeks to understand business innovation and the conditions that help or hinder it.

Unsolicited Goods and Services: Telephones

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what powers (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have to regulate the operation of unsolicited automated outbound telemarketing messages which present themselves as public information messages rather than commercial marketing messages.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply.
	Companies that make recorded calls to sell or promote their product or business have to comply with Regulation 19 (1) and (2) of the Privacy Regulations, which require that prior consent of the consumer has to be obtained before such calls can be made. Also, Regulation 24 (1) (a) states that all messages must include the identity of the caller and an address or free phone number at which the caller can be contacted. Where a consumer receives an automated call they have not agreed to, or has registered their number with the Telephone Preference Service, there may have been a breach of the regulations.
	Therefore, if at any time a public information message turns into a marketing message then would be a breach of the regulations.
	The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for considering complaints about possible breaches and they are able to issue a penalty of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches of the regulations.

EDUCATION

Academies

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of progress on the academies programme in (a) Hastings and Rye constituency, (b) Hastings and (c) East Sussex.

Nick Gibb: As of 9 June 2011, two schools in the Hastings and Rye constituency and 27 schools in East Sussex have registered an interest in becoming an academy. Of these, neither of the schools in the Hastings and Rye constituency have submitted an application; one school, Ringmer community college, in East Sussex has submitted an application and been issued an Academy Order. We have received no registrations of interest to become academies from schools in Hastings.
	Eastbourne Academy in East Sussex opened as a sponsored academy in 2010. In addition, Filsham Valley school, The Grove and Hillcrest school in East Sussex are planned to open as two sponsored academies in September 2011.
	Full details of schools that have formally applied for academy status, as well as a list of academies that have opened in the academic year 2010/11 can be found on the Department for Education Academies website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-that-have-opened-in-201011

Academies: Finance

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding is available for new academies; and what criteria his Department uses for assessment of applications in the Academies Capital Building Programme.

Nick Gibb: New academies are given annual revenue funding on an equivalent basis as maintained schools in their local authority area. In addition, maintained schools converting to an academy receive £25,000 to help them with the costs of conversion.
	More money is available to under-performing schools which become an academy with the assistance of a sponsor, including a small capital grant to help them make improvements to the school environment as part of their transformation. Other capital funding is also available to academies:
	(a) A small amount devolved to all academies, allocated on the basis of a per school and per pupil formula, equivalent to funds available for maintained schools. Most academies are being paid this year's allocation in June.
	(b) An £85 million fund for 2011-12, targeted mainly towards academies' building condition needs, for which the first round of applications closed on 27 May. Those applications are being assessed against three main criteria: the outputs to be achieved through the proposed project, whether the proposal represents good value for money, and the extent to which the project can be delivered on budget and on time to ensure this year's grant is spent in the current financial year. Academies which have applied in the first round will be notified shortly of the outcome,
	(c) Capital funding to meet the basic need for additional pupil places due to local demographic changes. A total of £800 million has been allocated to local authorities in 2011-12, to be used to address this basic need across all Government-funded schools, including academies. £30 million has been made available to the Young People's Learning Agency, for allocation where there is a similar basic need for additional post-16 year old places, including in academies.

Academies: Hertfordshire

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have (a) applied for and (b) achieved academy status in North East Hertfordshire constituency; and if he will make a statement on the timetable for decisions on any outstanding applications.

Nick Gibb: As of 1 June, five schools in North East Hertfordshire have applied to convert to academy status. Of these, The Knights Templar has opened as an academy in April 2011. The remaining four schools—Freman college, Roysia middle school, Greneway school and Meridian school—are currently in the conversion process and expecting to open as academies in August 2011. Roysia, Greneway and Meridian schools are applying together to form a chain under a multi-academy trust arrangement.
	Full details of schools that have formally applied for academy status, as well as a list of academies that have opened in the academic year 2010/11, can be found on the DfE Academies website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-that-have-opened-in-201011

Academies: Yorkshire and the Humber

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Skipton and Ripon constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber have applied to become academies.

Nick Gibb: As of 1 June 2011 three schools in the Skipton and Ripon constituency have applied to become academies; 10 have applied in North Yorkshire and 98 have applied in Yorkshire and the Humber.
	Full details of schools that have formally applied for academy status, as well as a list of academies that have opened in the academic year 2010/11 can be found on the Department for Education Academies website at:
	http://www.education.gov.Uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schoots-submitting-applications-and-academies-that-have-opened-in-201011

James Review

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to respond to the James review of capital investment in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government will respond to the Capital review soon.
	However we are already implementing changes that are very much in the spirit of the Capital review recommendations, and which will help deliver the buildings and facilities that children need. These include focusing the available funding on providing new school places where they are needed, and on the buildings in the worst condition; getting the best value for money from our existing Building Schools for the Future commitments and other projects; and considering how the school premises regulations can be simplified so as to remove unnecessary burdens and blockages.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the number of children eligible for the pupil premium if it were extended to include those who have lost a parent serving in the armed forces.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 June 2011
	The Government have introduced a premium for children whose parents are serving in the armed forces. For 2011-12 the premium has been set at £200 per pupil. Funding for this year will be provided for each pupil recorded on the January 2011 School Census as a service child who is in year groups Reception to Year 11 in mainstream schools. It is not possible to make an estimate of the number of children who have lost a parent serving in the armed forces as the Department does not record these data.

Schools: Construction

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of schools required to be built to meet population growth in each of the next five years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 10 June 2011
	It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory school age who wants one. The Department will continue to provide capital funding and monitor the situation with local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places.
	The Department does collect information from each local authority on school capacity in maintained schools through an annual survey, which includes local authorities' own pupil forecasts. The most recent survey data relates to the position at May 2010 and is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000982/index.shtml
	We can only estimate the level of demand for school places. It cannot be determined by pupil forecasts alone as other local factors have an influence; for example, changes to school capacity and spare school places. The survey data indicate that there will be a need for an additional 260,000 primary places and 60,000 secondary places nationally over the next five years. We are unable to determine how many schools will actually need to be built to meet the population growth over the next five years. This is a local matter and will be dependent on the needs of the local community.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airports: Security

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the effects on those travelling by air of the sale of goods by private companies related to regulations on the transport of liquids on commercial flights.

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any representations on the effects of those travelling by air of the sale of goods by private companies related to regulations on the transport of liquids on commercial flights.

Cycling: Theft

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to promote awareness of cycle crime;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to reduce the theft of bicycles.

James Brokenshire: It is for police forces to tackle the problem of bicycle theft in areas where this is a particular problem for the local community. This involves not only enforcement action but also effective crime prevention advice to the public on measures to secure their belongings.

Harassment

Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who were charged under Section (a) 2, (b) 3, (c) 4 and (d) 5 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 reached trial in each of the last 10 years; and in how many cases the person was found guilty.

Crispin Blunt: Number of persons proceeded against at the magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in England and Wales, 2000 to 2010 can be viewed in the table.
	Charging data are not collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice.
	
		
			 Number of persons proceeded against at the magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the Protection From Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales 2000-10  (1, 2) 
			   2000  (3) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008  (4) 2009  (5) 2010  (6) 
			 Section 2 Proceeded against 5,977 5,873 5,843 5,891 5,974 5,679 5,447 5,134 5,046 5,448 6,108 
			  Found guilty 2,933 2,806 2,864 3,020 3,348 3,635 3,768 3,745 3,931 4,368 4,740 
			 Section 3 Proceeded against 40 31 44 50 42 25 34 71 99 65 68 
			  Found guilty 22 14 23 22 18 14 15 25 47 27 29 
			 Section 4 Proceeded against 1,752 1,651 1,601 1,593 1,494 1,592 1,512 1,306 1,352 1,519 1,465 
			  Found guilty 574 590 639 674 717 806 875 814 839 787 797 
			 Section 5 Proceeded against 802 776 847 900 991 1,129 1,108 884 1,177 1,618 3,349 
			  Found guilty 557 539 604 687 766 880 873 738 821 1,464 2,921 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected Is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However. It is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken Into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April. July and August 2008. (5) Revisions have been made to 2009 figures to account for the late receipt of a small number of court records. (6) The following offence came into force on 30 September 2009. Breach of a Restraining Order issued on acquittal—Section 5A Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Human Trafficking

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria her Department uses to identify victims of human trafficking.

Damian Green: Trained specialists in designated ‘Competent Authorities’ make decisions about whether an individual is a victim of trafficking. Competent Authorities consider the criteria that is specified in the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings definition of trafficking.
	Detailed information on the consideration procedure can be found in the UK Border Agency's Competent Authority guidance, a copy of which I will place in the Library. It is also available on the UKBA website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/specialcases/guidance/competent-guidance

Nosratollah Tajik

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects former Iranian diplomat Nosratollah Tajik to return to Iran.

Damian Green: Nosratollah Tajik is the subject of an extradition request from the United States. He has made representations to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), which are currently being considered.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of police officers who are to be drafted in from other police forces in the UK for the purposes of policing the London 2012 Olympics.

James Brokenshire: Security preparations for the 2012 games are progressing to schedule, including gaining clarity on mutual aid requirements and logistics. We are working closely with the Police Federation and staff associations on all these issues. The number of police officers who will need to be deployed on Olympic safety and security duties varies considerably across the 64 days of the games period, from the opening to the closing of the athletes’ village.
	Work has been done to provide an estimate of mutual aid officers needed across the country on a peak day. Current planning suggests that the maximum number of officers who will be required on days of peak demand is 10,000. Of these, it is estimated that around 8,000 will be supplied by the police forces of the areas hosting the events, meaning that around 2,000 will need to be provided by other police forces through mutual aid arrangements. We currently estimate that 72,000 mutual aid shifts are required across this period, though this figure may be subject to change.
	Funding arrangements for Olympic and Paralympic mutual aid are intended to ensure that lending forces are fully reimbursed for the officers they supply avoiding any diminution of the overall resources available to the lending forces and ensuring that policing can be maintained across the UK as a whole during games-time.

Stop and Search: Terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stops under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were carried out at (a) Glasgow International, (b) Glasgow Prestwick, (c) Edinburgh International and (d) Aberdeen Airport in each year since 2007.

James Brokenshire: The release of detailed statistics on the operational use of schedule 7 at a specific location could be of use to terrorists or others wishing to harm national security. It would allow comparison of varying levels of schedule 7 activity at different ports. Therefore it is not appropriate to provide information that may indicate the deployment of police resources and we are not therefore able to provide this information.

Stop and Search: Terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the ethnicity of those requested to participate in a stop under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at (a) Glasgow International, (b) Glasgow Prestwick, (c) Edinburgh International and (d) Aberdeen Airport in each year since 2007.

James Brokenshire: Information on the ethnicity of those examined at specific locations is not held by the Home Office.

Stop and Search: Terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests for terrorism-related offences were made at Scottish airports as a result of stops under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year since 2007.

James Brokenshire: No arrests are understood to have been made for terrorism related offences immediately following a schedule 7 examination at Scottish airports for the period April 2009 to March 2010, based on information supplied by the police service. However, for operational reasons the police may decide it is more appropriate to arrest an individual once the schedule 7 examination has been concluded and such arrests are not recorded as being related to schedule 7.

Stop and Search: Terrorism

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for terrorism-related offences as a result of stops at Scottish airports under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 conducted in each year since 2007.

James Brokenshire: Information on the number of convictions resulting from examinations is not held by the Home Office.

UK Border Agency

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time is at UK Border Agency desks in (a) Heathrow Terminal 4 and (b) other Heathrow terminals for those (i) with and (ii) without EU passports; and what the equivalent figures were in each of the last 24 months.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency constantly strives to provide a high standard of customer service at the border and is committed to expediting the entry of legitimate passengers and trade that help build the UK economy while at the same time maintaining a secure border.
	As a demonstration of the importance we place on passenger clearance times, our targets and performance against them will be published this year (2011-12) as part of the Government transparency agenda. This will enable members of the public to be fully sighted on average passenger clearance times, based on samples taken across the UK's ports and airports. Our current target is to clear 95% of EEA passengers within 25 minutes of joining the queue and non EEA passengers within 45 minutes. Current year to date performance sits at 98% and performance is closely monitored to ensure that deployment of resource is flexed to deal with increases in traffic and maintain overall passenger clearance times while ensuring the border remains secure.
	While we do not measure performance against average waiting times we do record them and the details requested are provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 1: EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:00 
			 May 0:00 
			 June 0:01 
			 July 0:02 
			 August 0:02 
			 September 0:02 
			 October 0:01 
			 November 0:01 
			 December 0:01 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:01 
			 February 0:01 
			 March 0:02 
			   
			 Average 0:02 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:02 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:03 
			 July 0:06 
			 August 0:08 
			 September 0:07 
			 October 0:07 
			 November 0:06 
			 December 0:04 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:04 
			 February 0:03 
			 March 0:03 
			   
			 Average 0:05 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow t  erminal 1: Non-EEA p  a  ssengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:02 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:03 
			 July 0:05 
		
	
	
		
			 August 0:04 
			 September 0:06 
			 October 0:03 
			 November 0:02 
			 December 0:02 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:03 
			 February 0:02 
			 March 0:03 
			   
			 Average 0:03 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:05 
			 May 0:05 
			 June 0:07 
			 July 0:13 
			 August 0:15 
			 September 0:17 
			 October 0:15 
			 November 0:12 
			 December 0:09 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:10 
			 February 0:08 
			 March 0:09 
			   
			 Average 0:06 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 2: EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			 2009 Average queue time 
			 April 0:02 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:01 
			 July 0:01 
			 August 0:01 
			 September 0:01 
			 October 0:01 
			 November 0:00 
			   
			 Average 0:02 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 2: Non-EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			 2009 Average queue time 
			 April 0:03 
			 May 0:03 
			 June 0:03 
			 July 0:04 
			 August 0:05 
			 September 0:05 
		
	
	
		
			 October 0:02 
			 November 0:01 
			   
			 Average 0:02 
		
	
	Immigration operations ceased at Heathrow terminal 2 in November 2009, due to refurbishment.
	
		
			 Heathrow t  erminal 3: EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:04 
			 May 0:03 
			 June 0:04 
			 July 0:05 
			 August 0:06 
			 September 0:06 
			 October 0:03 
			 November 0:02 
			 December 0:02 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:03 
			 February 0:02 
			 March 0:03 
			   
			 Average 0:04 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:03 
			 May 0:03 
			 June 0:04 
			 July 0:05 
			 August 0:05 
			 September 0:06 
			 October 0:04 
			 November 0:04 
			 December 0:04 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:05 
			 February 0:05 
			 March 0:06 
			   
			 Average 0:05 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 3: Non-EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:08 
			 May 0:10 
			 June 0:13 
		
	
	
		
			 July 0:15 
			 August 0:15 
			 September 0:23 
			 October 0:11 
			 November 0:06 
			 December 0:05 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:08 
			 February 0:07 
			 March 0:08 
			   
			 Average 0:11 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:11 
			 May 0:11 
			 June 0:14 
			 July 0:16 
			 August 0:14 
			 September 0:22 
			 October 0:13 
			 November 0:10 
			 December 0:09 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:12 
			 February 0:11 
			 March 0:13 
			   
			 Average 0:18 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 4: EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:02 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:02 
			 July 0:02 
			 August 0:02 
			 September 0:02 
			 October 0:02 
			 November 0:02 
			 December 0:02 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:02 
			 February 0:01 
			 March 0.02 
			   
			 Average 0:02 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:04 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:03 
			 July 0:04 
			 August 0:03 
			 September 0:04 
			 October 0:03 
			 November 0:03 
			 December 0:03 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:03 
			 February 0:03 
			 March 0:03 
			   
			 Average 0:04 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow t  erminal   4  : Non-EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:06 
			 May 0:06 
			 June 0:08 
			 July 0:09 
			 August 0:07 
			 September 0:13 
			 October 0:13 
			 November 0:07 
			 December 0:07 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:10 
			 February 0:06 
			 March 0:10 
			   
			 Average 0:09 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:16 
			 May 0:13 
			 June 0:18 
			 July 0:22 
			 August 0:10 
			 September 0:23 
			 October 0:14 
			 November 0:13 
			 December 0:15 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:19 
			 February 0:16 
			 March 0:19 
			   
			 Average 0:17 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 5: EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:03 
			 May 0:02 
			 June 0:03 
			 July 0:03 
			 August 0:04 
			 September 0:04 
			 October 0:04 
			 November 0:03 
			 December 0:04 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0:03 
			 February 0:04 
			 March 0:03 
			   
			 Average 0:04 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:05 
			 May 0:04 
			 June 0:05 
			 July 0:05 
			 August 0:06 
			 September 0:06 
			 October 0:05 
			 November 0:05 
			 December 0:05 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:05 
			 February 0:06 
			 March 0:05 
			   
			 Average 0:05 
		
	
	
		
			 Heathrow terminal 5: Non-EEA passengers 
			 2009-10 
			  Average queue time 
			 2009  
			 April 0:07 
			 May 0:07 
			 June 0:09 
			 July 0:13 
			 August 0:12 
			 September 0:18 
			 October 0:14 
			 November 0:11 
			 December 0:12 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 0.12 
			 February 0.12 
			 March 0.11 
			   
			 Average 0.12 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Average queue time 
			 2010  
			 April 0:18 
			 May 0:14 
			 June 0:18 
			 July 0:22 
			 August 0:18 
			 September 0:24 
			 October 0:16 
			 November 0:17 
			 December 0:17 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 0:19 
			 February 0:18 
			 March 0:15 
			   
			 Average 0:18

Victim Support Schemes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to co-locate social services, victim support services, primary care trusts and the police in order to improve the service provided to adults and children at risk.

James Brokenshire: The Government recognise the value of multi-agency arrangements, including the widely held view that multi-agency working brings real benefits to protecting children and vulnerable adults.
	The Department of Health published a statement of Government policy on safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse on 16 May 2011. This includes a statement of principles for use by local authority social services and housing, health, the police and other agencies, in order to develop and assess the effectiveness of their local safeguarding arrangements. One of these principles is partnership—local solutions through services working with their communities.
	The Government understand that when local people get involved, communities can do things differently. We need local authorities and local multi-agency partnerships to provide leadership in moving to less risk-averse ways of working, and to concentrate on outcomes instead of focusing on compliance. Local multi-agency partnerships should support and encourage communities to find local solutions. These solutions will be different in different places, reflecting, for example, local demographics and environmental characteristics.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has recently led targeted work to identify good practice arrangements being delivered locally, in order to enhance safeguarding through stronger partnership working, including co-located models. ACPO has produced advice to forces to make these good practice models and their benefits available nationally.
	At the national level, the recently-published Munro Review of Child Protection highlighted a number of examples of good practice, including those where multi-agency teams are co-located in one office. Co-location was considered essential in order for the process to work, being the most effective means of building relationships, trust and understanding between agencies, in order to enhance confidence in sharing information.
	The Government are currently considering their response to Professor Munro's report.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each local authority area are on the violent and sex offenders register; and how many people were (a) added to and (b) removed from the register in each year for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: The data required to answer this question fully are not collected in the format requested and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	The total number of registered sex offenders residing within each of the 42 police authority areas in England and Wales is detailed within the published annual MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) Reports. The report for 2009-10 is available online at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mappa.htm

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people on the violent and sex offenders register were convicted of further (a) sexual offences, (b) sexual offences against children and (c) violent offences after being placed on the register;
	(2)  how many people on the violent and sex offenders register have committed (a) offences against women, (b) offences against children and (c) multiple offences against women and children;
	(3)  how many people on the violent and sex offenders register live in a household with a person under the age of 18;
	(4)  how many people on the violent and sex offenders register have served custodial sentences of (a) less than one year, (b) one to five years and (c) more than five years;
	(5)  how many people on the violent and sex offenders register are employed in jobs where they have contact with (a) children and (b) at risk groups.

Lynne Featherstone: The data requested are not collected in the format requested and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how many people on the violent and sex offenders register (a) there are no up-to-date address details and (b) their current address is recorded as unknown.

Lynne Featherstone: As of 20 June 2011, there are 211 registered sex offenders who do not have a recorded address on ViSOR and 109 offenders who have an address recorded as 'no fixed abode'.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have applied to be removed from the violent and sex offenders register in each year for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: Sex offenders subject to notification requirements cannot currently apply to discontinue these requirements.

Visas

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what year her Department used as a baseline to determine the visa allocations to companies who request intra-company transfers in respect of the most recent year for which information is available; for what reasons that year was chosen; what methodology her Department used to calculate visa allotments; and how many requests it (a) received and (b) granted in (i) that year and (ii) 2010.

Damian Green: No year was used as a baseline to determine Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) allocations for intra-company transfer (ICT) sponsors. Sponsors requesting a Tier 2 ICT sponsor licence, indicate on their application how many CoS they require. The number allocated to each sponsor by the UK Border Agency is based on the number requested alongside a number of criteria, including business needs, previous compliance with immigration rules and historic usage.
	It is not possible to provide information on the number of ICT CoS requested by sponsors as this information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of ICT CoS assigned by the UK Border Agency to sponsors in 2010 was 39,725 and the number used by sponsors during this period was 36,913.

Visas: Olympic Games 2012

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that members of the Libyan and Syrian governments do not use the Olympic visa scheme to visit London in 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Members of the Libyan and Syrian Governments, including their Heads of State, are subject to international travel bans and would not be able to travel to the EU to attend the Olympics.

CABINET OFFICE

Big Society Bank

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what definition of social value the Big Society Bank will use in its disbursement of funds.

Nick Hurd: The purpose of the big society bank is to boost the ability of social enterprises, charities, and voluntary and community organisations to deal with a wide range of social issues by improving their access to appropriate capital.
	In assessing investment decisions, the big society bank will therefore consider whether the investment will result in a better provision of financial services for VCSE (Voluntary and Community Social Enterprise) organisations, whether the investment will leverage additional capital into the sector, and whether the investment will enable social investment intermediaries to become more resilient and sustainable and better to develop and provide services to the sector in the long term.

Big Society Bank

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the banking sector will play any role in the governance of the Big Society Bank.

Nick Hurd: It is essential that the corporate governance arrangements of the big society bank (BSB) are effective in ensuring that the big society bank (BSB) remains true to its social mission and that dormant accounts are used to achieve social objectives. We are working closely with the team developing the big society bank (BSB) to make certain that this is the case.
	The exact terms of the £200 million investment in the big society bank (BSB) by the four UK banks, including any potential role in the governance of the big society bank (BSB), are still being negotiated.

Big Society Bank

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what types of capital for the Big Society Bank will be contributed by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group.

Nick Hurd: The banks are committed to investing in a way that is compatible with the big society bank's mission to help grow a sustainable social investment market and achieve returns against a double bottom line of social and financial returns.
	The exact terms of this investment have yet to be finalised.

Charities: Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will assess the effect on the revenues of charities and voluntary groups of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review in each of the next four financial years.

Nick Hurd: The Government's programme of reform will create significant new opportunities for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as we open up public service markets and make these markets more accessible to the sector.
	Data are not available to enable us to forecast sector revenues over the next four years. However we continue to work closely with partners in the voluntary sector and across Government to support the sector through this transitional period and ensure it can continue its vital role in building big society. This includes measures to:
	Support the sector through the Transition, by investing £107 million in the Transition Fund to create breathing space for public service providers.
	Set out reasonable expectations of councils, to ensure local funding decisions are made wisely, and in conjunction with the sector.
	Develop the £200 million big society bank to help sector organisations access much needed additional resources and investment.
	Open up public services, incorporating consultation with sector organisations and commissioners on Modernising Commissioning.
	Increase giving of time and money, through measures set out in the Giving White Paper.

Charities: Public Expenditure

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make an assessment of the effects of the Government's fiscal policies on charities and voluntary groups in each of the next four financial years.

Nick Hurd: Fiscal policy is a matter for HM Treasury. The 2011 Budget outlined a package of measures to support charities, encourage charitable giving and increase incentives for philanthropy. This includes measures to:
	Reduce the rate of inheritance tax to 36% for estates leaving 10% or more to charity, from April 2012;
	Increase the limit for 'thank you' gifts under Gift Aid from £500 to £2,500 from April 2011;
	Introduce Gift Aid online filing to reduce bureaucracy for charities claiming Gift Aid in 2012-13;
	Introduce a new scheme to enable Gift Aid to be claimed on small donations without the paperwork in April 2013;
	Explore how to increase the take up of Payroll Giving.
	The Government anticipates that the combined effect of these measures will increase funding to charities by around £600 million over the lifetime of the Parliament.

Departmental Data Protection

Andrew Miller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to promote visual data security in his Department; and what training his Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office takes the protection and security of its data very seriously and takes a number of measures to ensure that sensitive information is protected when being displayed on visual display units (VDUs). These include strict rules regarding the use of IT equipment outside of the office (including when travelling/working overseas) and the use of mobile phones and similar devices both on and off its estate.
	In addition, the Department's VDUs are programmed to go into ‘hibernation’ if not activated within a short period of time; staff are instructed not to leave their units switched on when away from their desks; screens may be ‘anonymised’ where considered necessary for those working inside and away from the office; and ‘privacy screen panels’ are also available. The need to ensure visual data security is considered as part of any office accommodation moves.
	Staff are trained regarding all aspects of data handling and security through a variety of ways including induction courses; regular briefing and training events; articles on the Department's intranet site and; ad hoc reminders as and when considered necessary.

Government Departments: Billing

John Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will assess the effects on levels of economic growth of late payments by government contractors to subcontractors.

Francis Maude: The Government recognise that late payment has detrimental effects, particularly on cash flow for SMEs, and are determined to do everything they can to transform the culture of late payment. That is why we have a target for central Government Departments to pay 80% of valid invoices within five working days of receipt, and why all new contracts must include a clause providing for 30-day payment from primes to sub-contractors.
	We are also exploring ways to make performance against these objectives more transparent.

Government Departments: Procurement

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2010, Official Report, column 998W, on the public sector: procurement, how many Government Departments have not yet published in full on their departmental websites details of contracts with a monetary value over £10,000.

Francis Maude: The latest report on departmental usage of the Contracts Finder system, dated 27 May, is published on the Cabinet Office website:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/policy-and-guidance-transparency-public-sector-procurement-and-contracting
	This showed:
	five Departments had published all their new contracts;
	14 Departments are in the process of preparing contracts for publication;
	four Departments had not let any contracts.

Government Departments: Procurement

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the outsourcing overseas of contracts that Government Departments hold with private sector companies.

Francis Maude: The Government's procurement policy is to seek value for money for the public purse through fair competition in open markets, in line with our membership of the EU and other international agreements.
	Of course the Government wants companies and workers in the UK to benefit from public procurement opportunities, the vast bulk of which go to UK-based companies.

Mutual Societies

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many calls the Mutuals Information Service has received in each month since November 2010.

Nick Hurd: The Mutuals Information Service is provided by an independent organisation—Local Partnerships, working in partnership with Cooperatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association.
	The Minister for the Cabinet Office announced the launch of the Mutuals Information Service on 17 November 2010 and Cabinet Office has continued to work closely with the providers of the service. We understand that around 250 new enquiries were received between the launch date and 31 March 2011.
	Since the 31 March the monthly breakdown of new enquiries is as follows:
	14 calls in April;
	19 calls in May.
	The Mutuals Information Service also receives enquiries and calls for information and advice following up from an original call. These are additional to the figures for new enquiries set out here.

Mutual Societies

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many calls the Mutuals Information Service received between 17 November 2010 and 30 March 2011.

Nick Hurd: The Mutuals Information Service is provided by an independent organisation—Local Partnerships, working in partnership with Cooperatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association.
	he Minister for the Cabinet Office announced the launch of the Mutuals Information Service on 17 November 2010 and Cabinet Office has continued to work closely with the providers of the service. We understand that around 250 new enquiries were received between the launch date and 31 March 2011.
	The Mutuals Information Service also receives enquiries and calls for information and advice following up from an original call. These are additional to the figures for new enquiries.

Third Sector

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many hours Ministers in his Department spent volunteering in the last 12 months as part of the Government's Big Society initiative.

Nick Hurd: There are no records held centrally.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many 16 year olds in each region have registered to participate in National Citizen Service pilot projects.

Nick Hurd: National Citizen Service is taking place in a range of locations across England in its first pilot year, with over 10,000 places potentially available this summer. Data provided to the Cabinet Office by National Citizen Service delivery partners indicated that at 17 June the following numbers of young people had registered their details in each region.
	
		
			  Number 
			 North East 6,922 
			 North West 4,716 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 981 
			 West Midlands 7,433 
			 East Midlands 425 
			 East of England 1,188 
			 South East 390 
			 South West 833 
			 London 9,396 
			 Total 32,284

Voluntary Work: Young People

Simon Hart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to extend the National Citizen Service to Wales.

Nick Hurd: The Government are piloting National Citizen Service in England in 2011 and 2012. Initial discussions have taken place with the Welsh Government to explore opportunities for the programme to be extended to Wales, and we will continue to work with the Welsh Government as the pilot phase of National Citizen Service progresses.

JUSTICE

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what circumstances the police may be granted a search warrant in respect of an individual charged under the provisions of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Lynne Featherstone: I have been asked to reply.
	The offences set out in sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 are indictable offences, for which search warrants can be sought under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
	The police can seek a search warrant under section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by satisfying a magistrate of the conditions set out in section 8 (1) of that Act. Where the material sought by the police falls under the definition of ‘special procedure material’ set out in section 14 of the 1984 Act, a warrant must be obtained from a circuit judge in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 1 of that Act.

Departmental Data Protection

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to promote visual data security in his Department; and what training his Department provides to its officials in respect of the management of visual data security.

Jonathan Djanogly: We take the security of information seriously and ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and for adherence with the Government's security policy framework, which incorporates the findings of the data handling review. We promote the visual security of data through our arrangements for information security within the office and our policy on remote working. We have issued guidance on working on documents, laptops and other mobile devices in public places and the risk of being overlooked. This includes urging staff to question whether they really need to take information out of the office and to obtain permission from a senior manager if this involves more sensitive information. This guidance is being given greater prominence in a forthcoming upgrade of our intranet pages, which will be promoted in a security awareness campaign.
	All staff are required to undertake annual training in information security. The National School of Government's e-learning course covers the visual security risk of working in public places and is used for most staff. Staff in HM Courts and Tribunals service received face to face training tailored to their ways of working and so did not specifically address working outside the office.

Legal Aid

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil and criminal providers of legal aid have offices in North East Hertfordshire constituency.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) holds contracts with legal aid firms but each firm may provide services from several offices. There are five firms with postcodes falling within the North East Hertfordshire constituency providing civil services out of four offices and crime out of two.
	In addition to face to face services, the public can get help with civil problems through Community Legal Advice which includes telephone and internet-based services.

Legal Costs

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the evidential basis is for the conclusion of the equality impact assessment published alongside the Government's response to the Jackson proposals on civil litigation costs that the proposals will have no impact on human rights.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, introduced into the House of Commons on 21 June 2011 contains clauses which will implement these proposals. In accordance with section 19(l)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998, the Secretary of State for Justice has confirmed that, in his view, the provisions of the Bill are compatible with the Convention rights.

Offences against Children: Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was for unlawful sex with a minor in the last 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants sentenced, given an immediate custodial sentence and the average custodial sentence length for sexual offences against a minor, England and Wales, 2010 can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants sentenced at all courts and the average custodial sentence length (months) for sexual offences against a minor (1) , England and Wales, 2010 (2,3) 
			 Offence Total sentenced Other sentences Immediate custody Average custodial sentence length (months) (4) 
			 Sexual offences against a minor 1,981 603 1,378 61.6 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Includes all offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the age of the victim can be determined from the Act (and where it is under 16) under which the offender was sentenced. This includes offences under Sections 1, 5-10 & 47 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, It is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of times police forces have not been informed of the release of offenders from prison on temporary licence in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: Prisons are expected to notify the police at least five days in advance of any release on temporary licence. Data on such notifications are not collected routinely and could not be established retrospectively except at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners did not complete an education or other rehabilitation course due to being released from custody in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: This information is not centrally collected and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Prisoner education reflects that available in the community and part-completed courses in prison can be completed after release.

Prisoners: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length was of skills, education and training courses provided to offenders in prison in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: This information is not centrally collected and could be gained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of persons sentenced to (a) less than six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between one and two years and (d) more than two years in prison undertook an education, training or skills related course in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of persons who have left custody after (a) less than six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between one and two years and (d) more than two years in prison had completed an education, training or skills related course in prison in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: This information is not centrally collected and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of damage to each prison attributable to prisoners in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Any occurrence of damage caused by prisoners is recorded on the Prison Service Incident Reporting System. These incidents are in a format that cannot readily be interrogated electronically. To provide the information requested would involve the manual inspection of incident records for the last five years which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  in how many cases where a person was charged under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 the (a) case was not proceeded with and (b) individual was acquitted;
	(2)  how many people received (a) a custodial sentence, (b) a fine, (c) a conditional discharge and (d) a supervision order following a charge under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Number of persons acquitted at all courts for offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in England and Wales for 2010 was 559.
	Number of persons sentenced and a breakdown of the outcomes at all courts for offences under the Harassment Act 1997, 2010 can be viewed in the table.
	Information on cases charged which were subsequently not proceeded with are not collated by the Ministry of Justice.
	Charging data are not collated centrally.
	
		
			 Persons sentenced at all courts for offences under the Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 2010  (1, 2) 
			 Outcome Number 
			 Sentenced 8,393 
			 Conditional discharge 1,002 
			 Fine 909 
			 Immediate custody 1,606 
			 Other sentences(3) 1,673 
			 Community sentence 3,203 
			 Of which:  
			 Supervision order 14 
			 (1 )The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes: Absolute discharge, Suspended sentence and Otherwise dealt with. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Youth Justice

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research the Youth Justice Board has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the effects of reductions in youth offending teams since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has not undertaken formal research into the effects of reductions in youth offending teams (YOTs) since May 2010.
	Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Local Authorities in England and Wales have the statutory responsibility to establish a youth offending team to deliver youth justice services. Local areas are therefore required to ensure sufficient funding and staffing is available to deliver their youth justice responsibilities.
	The YJB will continue to monitor and review YOTs to ensure that local authorities provide the support and resources they need to deliver their statutory responsibilities.